Faculty
Neuroscience
Supervisor Name
Dr. Derek Mitchell
Keywords
cross-modal, emotional sounds, contrast perception, distraction, pupillometry
Description
This study investigates the influence of emotional auditory stimuli on visual contrast perception, examining whether negative emotional sounds impact task performance more than neutral sounds. Previous research indicates that the effects of task-irrelevant stimuli (TIS) on task performance depend on the valence and modality of the stimulus, as well as the timing of the target stimulus. Specifically, while visual TIS can distract from visual tasks, auditory stimuli may function differently, potentially enhancing attention and perceptual sensitivity in specific spatial locations.
In this experiment, participants will view rapidly flashing Gabor patches on both sides of a screen while listening to a 6-second auditory stimulus from either the left or right speaker. Each sound stimulus will be of either neutral or negative valence, with 20 sounds of each type presented. For each sound, four pairs of Gabor patches will appear, with participants instructed to determine which patch has the higher contrast, disregarding the auditory stimulus.
The study includes "same contrast" trials to assess whether responses are biased by the location and valence of the sound, and "different contrast" trials to test whether task performance is affected by the congruence between the sound location and the higher-contrast Gabor patch. Eyelink software will capture eye movements and pupillometry to assess arousal and detect any saccadic movements toward the Gabor patches. This study aims to clarify the role of emotional auditory stimuli in cross-modal attention and perception, with implications for understanding how emotions influence sensory processing.
Acknowledgements
I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Derek Mitchell, PhD candidate Emma Stewart and the other members of the Emotional Cognition Lab for their guidance and support throughout this project. I also thank the Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internship (USRI) program, the faculty of Schulich Medicine and Neuroscience, and the staff at the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB) for their support and resources, which made this research possible.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Enhanced Subjective Perception: A Contrast Experiment
This study investigates the influence of emotional auditory stimuli on visual contrast perception, examining whether negative emotional sounds impact task performance more than neutral sounds. Previous research indicates that the effects of task-irrelevant stimuli (TIS) on task performance depend on the valence and modality of the stimulus, as well as the timing of the target stimulus. Specifically, while visual TIS can distract from visual tasks, auditory stimuli may function differently, potentially enhancing attention and perceptual sensitivity in specific spatial locations.
In this experiment, participants will view rapidly flashing Gabor patches on both sides of a screen while listening to a 6-second auditory stimulus from either the left or right speaker. Each sound stimulus will be of either neutral or negative valence, with 20 sounds of each type presented. For each sound, four pairs of Gabor patches will appear, with participants instructed to determine which patch has the higher contrast, disregarding the auditory stimulus.
The study includes "same contrast" trials to assess whether responses are biased by the location and valence of the sound, and "different contrast" trials to test whether task performance is affected by the congruence between the sound location and the higher-contrast Gabor patch. Eyelink software will capture eye movements and pupillometry to assess arousal and detect any saccadic movements toward the Gabor patches. This study aims to clarify the role of emotional auditory stimuli in cross-modal attention and perception, with implications for understanding how emotions influence sensory processing.