Audiovisual illusion training improves multisensory temporal integration

Abstract

When we perceive external physical stimuli from the environment, the brain must remain somewhat flexible to unaligned stimuli within a specific range, as multisensory signals are subject to different transmission and processing delays. Recent studies have shown that the width of the 'temporal binding window (TBW)' can be reduced by perceptual learning. However, to date, the vast majority of studies examining the mechanisms of perceptual learning have focused on experience-dependent effects, failing to reach a consensus on its relationship with the underlying perception influenced by audiovisual illusion. The sound-induced flash illusion (SiFI) training is a reliable function for improving perceptual sensitivity. The present study utilized the classic auditory-dominated SiFI paradigm with feedback training to investigate the effect of a 5-day SiFI training on multisensory temporal integration, as evaluated by a simultaneity judgment (SJ) task and temporal order judgment (TOJ) task. We demonstrate that audiovisual illusion training enhances multisensory temporal integration precision in the form of (i) the point of subjective simultaneity (PSS) shifts to reality (0 ms) and (ii) a narrowing TBW. The results are consistent with a Bayesian model of causal inference, suggesting that perception learning reduce the susceptibility to SiFI, whilst improving the precision of audiovisual temporal estimation.

Keywords: Multisensory integration; Perceptual sensitivity; Simultaneity judgment; Sound-induced flash illusion; Temporal order judgment; Temporal recalibration.