The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.

Often multisensory information is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion where each sensory source is weighted according to its precision. This integration scheme isstatistically optimal because it theoretically results in unbiased perceptual estimates with the highest precisionpossible.There...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jess Hartcher-O'Brien, Massimiliano Di Luca, Marc O Ernst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0089339&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849468597863186432
author Jess Hartcher-O'Brien
Massimiliano Di Luca
Marc O Ernst
author_facet Jess Hartcher-O'Brien
Massimiliano Di Luca
Marc O Ernst
author_sort Jess Hartcher-O'Brien
collection DOAJ
description Often multisensory information is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion where each sensory source is weighted according to its precision. This integration scheme isstatistically optimal because it theoretically results in unbiased perceptual estimates with the highest precisionpossible.There is a current lack of consensus about how the nervous system processes multiple sensory cues to elapsed time.In order to shed light upon this, we adopt a computational approach to pinpoint the integration strategy underlying duration estimationof audio/visual stimuli. One of the assumptions of our computational approach is that the multisensory signals redundantly specify the same stimulus property. Our results clearly show that despite claims to the contrary, perceived duration is the result of an optimal weighting process, similar to that adopted for estimates of space. That is, participants weight the audio and visual information to arrive at the most precise, single duration estimate possible. The work also disentangles how different integration strategies - i.e. consideringthe time of onset/offset ofsignals - might alter the final estimate. As such we provide the first concrete evidence of an optimal integration strategy in human duration estimates.
format Article
id doaj-art-1c8dbfe2fc244ab2b6dba165b515676b
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2014-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-1c8dbfe2fc244ab2b6dba165b515676b2025-08-20T03:25:47ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0193e8933910.1371/journal.pone.0089339The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.Jess Hartcher-O'BrienMassimiliano Di LucaMarc O ErnstOften multisensory information is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion where each sensory source is weighted according to its precision. This integration scheme isstatistically optimal because it theoretically results in unbiased perceptual estimates with the highest precisionpossible.There is a current lack of consensus about how the nervous system processes multiple sensory cues to elapsed time.In order to shed light upon this, we adopt a computational approach to pinpoint the integration strategy underlying duration estimationof audio/visual stimuli. One of the assumptions of our computational approach is that the multisensory signals redundantly specify the same stimulus property. Our results clearly show that despite claims to the contrary, perceived duration is the result of an optimal weighting process, similar to that adopted for estimates of space. That is, participants weight the audio and visual information to arrive at the most precise, single duration estimate possible. The work also disentangles how different integration strategies - i.e. consideringthe time of onset/offset ofsignals - might alter the final estimate. As such we provide the first concrete evidence of an optimal integration strategy in human duration estimates.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0089339&type=printable
spellingShingle Jess Hartcher-O'Brien
Massimiliano Di Luca
Marc O Ernst
The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.
PLoS ONE
title The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.
title_full The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.
title_fullStr The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.
title_full_unstemmed The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.
title_short The duration of uncertain times: audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion.
title_sort duration of uncertain times audiovisual information about intervals is integrated in a statistically optimal fashion
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0089339&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT jesshartcherobrien thedurationofuncertaintimesaudiovisualinformationaboutintervalsisintegratedinastatisticallyoptimalfashion
AT massimilianodiluca thedurationofuncertaintimesaudiovisualinformationaboutintervalsisintegratedinastatisticallyoptimalfashion
AT marcoernst thedurationofuncertaintimesaudiovisualinformationaboutintervalsisintegratedinastatisticallyoptimalfashion
AT jesshartcherobrien durationofuncertaintimesaudiovisualinformationaboutintervalsisintegratedinastatisticallyoptimalfashion
AT massimilianodiluca durationofuncertaintimesaudiovisualinformationaboutintervalsisintegratedinastatisticallyoptimalfashion
AT marcoernst durationofuncertaintimesaudiovisualinformationaboutintervalsisintegratedinastatisticallyoptimalfashion