Abstract
Auditory pitch is known to influence visual spatial localisation (Mudd, 1963 Journal of Exper-
imental Psychology 66 347 ^ 352). Here, we investigated whether a similar effect is found for visual
spatial attention. Subjects bisected vertical lines presented on a touch-screen monitor at differ-
ent spatial locations while touch coordinates and eye movements were recorded. Lines were
presented on their own or simultaneously with one of three tones (440 Hz, 880 Hz, or 1760 Hz).
For no-tone conditions, a classic vertical-line bisection bias was observed. This bias decreased for
the low-pitch tone and increased for the higher-pitch tones. Effects were strongest for low tones in
the lower left visual field and for higher tones in the upper right visual field. First saccade landing
positions also reflected a vertical-line bisection bias. However, this bias was not modulated by audi-
tory pitch.We conclude that visual spatial attention is influenced by auditory pitch in a top ^ down
manner, possibly due to learned associations, rather than by bottom^ up multimodal integration.
Translated title of the contribution | Effects of auditory pitch on vertical line bisection: bottom-up or top-down processing? |
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Original language | English |
Pages | 171 - 171 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |