multisensory perceptual learning of temporal order audiovisual learning transfers to vision but not audition多种感觉的知觉学习的时间顺序视听学习转移到视觉而不是试镜.pdfVIP

Multisensory Perceptual Learning of Temporal Order: Audiovisual Learning Transfers to Vision but Not Audition 1 2,3 David Alais , John Cass * 1 School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2 School of Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Milperra, Australia, 3 MARCS Auditory Laboratories, University of Western Sydney, Milperra, Australia Abstract Background: An outstanding question in sensory neuroscience is whether the perceived timing of events is mediated by a central supra-modal timing mechanism, or multiple modality-specific systems. We use a perceptual learning paradigm to address this question. Methodology/Principal Findings: Three groups were trained daily for 10 sessions on an auditory, a visual or a combined audiovisual temporal order judgment (TOJ). Groups were pre-tested on a range TOJ tasks within and between their group modality prior to learning so that transfer of any learning from the trained task could be measured by post-testing other tasks. Robust TOJ learning (reduced temporal order discrimination thresholds) occurred for all groups, although auditory learning (dichotic 500/2000 Hz tones) was slightly weaker than visual learning (lateralised grating patches). Crossmodal TOJs also displayed robust learning. Post-testing revealed that improvements in temporal resolution acquired during visual learning transferred within modality to other retinotopic locations and orientations, but not to auditory or crossmodal tasks. Auditory learning did not transfer to visual or crossmodal tasks, and neither did it transfer within audition to another frequency pair. In an interesting asymmetry, crossmodal learning transferred to all visual tasks but not to auditory tasks. Finally, in all conditions, learning to make TOJs for stimulus onsets did not transfer at all to