Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2001 - Volume 24, Issue 05  


Short Communication

The sensorimotor contingency of multisensory localization correlates with the conscious percept of spatial unity

Gwendolyn E. Roberson a1, Mark T. Wallace a2 and James A. Schirillo a1
a1 Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109 robege0@wfu.edu schirija@wfu.edu
a2 Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27151 mwallace@wfubmc.edu

Abstract

Two cross-modal experiments provide partial support for O'Regan & Noë's (O&N's) claim that sensorimotor contingencies mediate perception. Differences in locating a target sound accompanied by a spatially disparate neutral light correlate with whether the two stimuli were perceived as spatially unified. This correlation suggests that internal representations are necessary for conscious perception, which may also mediate sensorimotor contingencies.