Attention modulates multisensory integration: The case of audiovisual speech
Multiple Paper Presentation

Salvador Soto-Faraco
Dept. Psicologia Bàsica - Facultat de Psicologia and Parc Científic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona

Agnès Alsius
Dept. Psicologia Bàsica - Facultat de Psicologia and Parc Científic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona

Jordi Navarra
Dept. Psicologia Bàsica - Facultat de Psicologia and Parc Científic de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona

Ruth Campbell
Human Communication Sciences, Univesity College London

     Abstract ID Number: 20

Abstract
The integration of auditory and visual speech signals, perhaps best illustrated by the classic McGurk illusion, has been traditionally considered as one of the prototypical examples of fast, automatic multisensory binding. Findings from behavioural studies, which have failed to find an effect of attention on the McGurk illusion, as well as the evidence for audiovisual interactions at early stages of processing, seem to provide support for the automatic nature of multisensory integration. Here, we have addressed a direct test of this idea using a novel approach based on the attentional load hypothesis. A dual task paradigm allowed us to manipulate the amount of attentional resources available during the presentation of dubbed audio-visual clips conducive to the McGurk illusion. We found that, when attentional resources are depleted by a concurrent task, the prevalence of the McGurk illusion suffers a dramatic decrement, as compared to situation where less demands are placed on attention. These results point to a role of attention in multisensory binding.

To be Presented at the Following Symposium:
Speech as a window to multisensory integration processes
Other papers in this Symposium:

• Virginie van Wassenhove
  Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco
  ‘Analysis-by-synthesis’ in auditory-visual speech perception
• Ruth Campbell
  Department of Human Communication Sciences, University College London
  Seeing silent speech - cortical correlates in relation to visual processing requirements
• Mikko Sams
  Laboratory of Computational Engineering, Helsinki University of Technology
  Visual influences on auditory processing of speech