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Representational momentum in spatial hearing does not depend on eye movements

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Abstract

The perceived final position of a moving object usually seems to be displaced in the direction of motion. This displacement effect, termed representational momentum, has been reported for both visual and acoustic targets. This study investigated whether representational momentum in the auditory modality depends on oculomotor behavior during target presentation. In a dark anechoic environment, subjects localized the final position of a horizontally moving acoustic target (continuous noise) by using a hand pointer. Subjects were instructed to pursue the acoustic target with their eyes, to maintain central gaze direction, or to fixate a central visual fixation point. Forward displacements of the perceived final target position occurred irrespective of the eye-movement condition. This result is not consistent with previous findings in the visual modality indicating a reduction of forward displacement for continuously moving targets with fixation. It is suggested that factors other than oculomotor behavior are the source of representational momentum in spatial hearing.

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Notes

  1. In the “frozen-action” experiment, a still photograph of an object in motion is presented, followed by a second picture, which is either forward or behind the direction of motion. Subjects are asked to indicate whether the second picture is different from the first. The effect of representational momentum becomes manifest in an increased reaction-time delay when the second picture is forward the direction of motion (e.g. Freyd 1983).

  2. The shift in remembered position of stationary peripheral targets toward the center is consistent with a similar bias found in memory for peripheral visual targets toward the fovea (e.g. Mateeff and Gourevich 1983; Sheth and Shimojo 2001; Kerzel 2002b), although the origin of this foveal bias and the spatial compression in sound localization might be different.

  3. Similar movements of the eyes have been described in a related study in which subjects localized the final positions of a moving visual target (Mitrani et al. 1979). Interestingly, even after these movements back, the gaze was still directed to a point displaced up to several degrees in the direction of motion with respect to the actual point of disappearance. However, it seems difficult to compare this finding and the present results directly because of profound differences in the experimental settings—the studies differed not only in target modality but also in, e.g., localization method and direction of motion.

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Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Peter Dillmann for preparing software and electronic equipment, and Timothy Hubbard, Jörg Lewald, and one anonymous reviewer for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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  1. Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Kognitions- und Umweltpsychologie, Universitätsstr. 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany

    Stephan Getzmann

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Correspondence to Stephan Getzmann.

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Getzmann, S. Representational momentum in spatial hearing does not depend on eye movements. Exp Brain Res 165, 229–238 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-2291-0

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