As we perceive the world, signals from our eyes, ears, touch receptors, and other sources of sensory input combine to give us a comprehensive view of reality. This happens as sensory input content sends messages back and forth to create a reliable conceptualization of the perceived stimulus. Psychologists at UCLA have discovered, however, that the senses communicate before perception occurs. Published in the December issue of Psychological Science, participants’ visual perception of the leftward movement of dots on a screen was enhanced when a leftward-moving sound matched the leftward movement of the dots. These results demonstrate one cool instance in which hearing enhanced visual perception even though it wasn’t necessary.
Source: Science Daily
