Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?

The simultaneous presentation of a visual and an auditory stimulus can lead to a decrease in people's ability to perceive or respond to the auditory stimulus. In this study, we investigate the effect that threat has upon this phenomenon, known as the Colavita visual dominance effect. Participan...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Van Damme, S, Crombez, G, Spence, C
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2009
_version_ 1797058935523377152
author Van Damme, S
Crombez, G
Spence, C
author_facet Van Damme, S
Crombez, G
Spence, C
author_sort Van Damme, S
collection OXFORD
description The simultaneous presentation of a visual and an auditory stimulus can lead to a decrease in people's ability to perceive or respond to the auditory stimulus. In this study, we investigate the effect that threat has upon this phenomenon, known as the Colavita visual dominance effect. Participants performed two blocks of trials containing 40% visual, 40% auditory, and 20% bimodal trials. The first block of trials was identical for all participants, while in the second block, either the visual stimulus (visual threat condition), auditory stimulus (auditory threat condition), or neither stimulus (control condition) was fear-conditioned using aversive electrocutaneous stimuli. We predicted that, when compared with the control condition, this visual dominance effect would increase in the visual threat condition and decrease in the auditory threat condition. This hypothesis was partially supported by the data. In particular, the results showed that the fear-conditioning of the visual stimulus significantly increased the visual dominance effect relative to the control condition. However, the fear-conditioning of the auditory stimulus did not reduce the visual dominance effect but instead increased it slightly. These findings are discussed in terms of the role that attention and arousal play in the dominance of vision over audition.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T19:57:06Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:25fddd58-33c2-49f6-873d-2252c8292231
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T19:57:06Z
publishDate 2009
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:25fddd58-33c2-49f6-873d-2252c82922312022-03-26T11:58:32ZIs visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:25fddd58-33c2-49f6-873d-2252c8292231EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2009Van Damme, SCrombez, GSpence, CThe simultaneous presentation of a visual and an auditory stimulus can lead to a decrease in people's ability to perceive or respond to the auditory stimulus. In this study, we investigate the effect that threat has upon this phenomenon, known as the Colavita visual dominance effect. Participants performed two blocks of trials containing 40% visual, 40% auditory, and 20% bimodal trials. The first block of trials was identical for all participants, while in the second block, either the visual stimulus (visual threat condition), auditory stimulus (auditory threat condition), or neither stimulus (control condition) was fear-conditioned using aversive electrocutaneous stimuli. We predicted that, when compared with the control condition, this visual dominance effect would increase in the visual threat condition and decrease in the auditory threat condition. This hypothesis was partially supported by the data. In particular, the results showed that the fear-conditioning of the visual stimulus significantly increased the visual dominance effect relative to the control condition. However, the fear-conditioning of the auditory stimulus did not reduce the visual dominance effect but instead increased it slightly. These findings are discussed in terms of the role that attention and arousal play in the dominance of vision over audition.
spellingShingle Van Damme, S
Crombez, G
Spence, C
Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?
title Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?
title_full Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?
title_fullStr Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?
title_full_unstemmed Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?
title_short Is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli?
title_sort is visual dominance modulated by the threat value of visual and auditory stimuli
work_keys_str_mv AT vandammes isvisualdominancemodulatedbythethreatvalueofvisualandauditorystimuli
AT crombezg isvisualdominancemodulatedbythethreatvalueofvisualandauditorystimuli
AT spencec isvisualdominancemodulatedbythethreatvalueofvisualandauditorystimuli