A comparison between crossmodal integration of moving and static signals using event-related potentials
Poster Presentation

Neil Harrison
School of Psychology, University of Liverpool

Georg Meyer
School of Psychology, University of Liverpool

Sophie Wuerger
School of Psychology, University of Liverpool

     Abstract ID Number: 67
     Full text: Not available
     Last modified: March 18, 2005

Abstract
Behavioural studies have suggested that multisensory integration of dynamic stimuli can occur at a perceptual level of processing. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), the present study aims to test whether cortical integration elicited by motion-onset audiovisual stimuli differs from integration elicited by static audiovisual stimuli. By analysing the differences between audiovisual moving and non-moving integration using the ‘additive’ model (i.e. subtracting the sum of the unimodal conditions from the bimodal condition separately for moving and static stimuli) the contribution of specifically motion information to audiovisual integration can be isolated. A, V, and bimodal AV static and motion-onset stimuli were presented on an array of 31 LEDs and loudspeakers. The experimental task was to press a button in response to rare stimuli that either began moving instantly or that moved to the left. Results show that the pattern of crossmodal integration effects remains similar for both moving and static signals up until around 170 ms post-stimulus. At this point the neural integration patterns of the static and moving conditions begin to diverge, suggesting that the presence of motion affects neural integration mechanisms during late sensory processing.