The "ventriloquist effect": Visual dominance or response bias?

Abstract

The interaction between vision and audition was investigated using a signal detection method. A light and tone were presented either in the same location or in different locations along the horizontal plane, and the subjects responded with same-different judgments of stimulus location. Three modes of stimulus presentation were used: simultaneous presentation of the light and tone, tone first, and light first. For the latter two conditions, the interstimulus interval was either 0.7 or 2.0 sec. A statistical decision model was developed which distinguished between the perceptual and decision processes. The results analyzed within the framework of this model suggested that the apparent interaction between vision and audition is due to shifts in decision criteria rather than perceptual change. © 1975 Psychonomic Society, Inc.