Multiple spatial reference frames underpin perceptual recalibration to audio-visual discrepancies

Abstract

In dynamic multisensory environments, the perceptual system corrects for discrepancies arising between modalities. For instance, in the ventriloquism aftereffect (VAE), spatial disparities introduced between visual and auditory stimuli lead to a perceptual recalibration of auditory space. Previous research has shown that the VAE is underpinned by multiple recalibration mechanisms tuned to different timescales, however it remains unclear whether these mechanisms use common or distinct spatial reference frames. Here we asked whether the VAE operates in eye- or head-centred reference frames across a range of adaptation timescales, from a few seconds to a few minutes. We developed a novel paradigm for selectively manipulating the contribution of eye- versus head-centred visual signals to the VAE by manipulating auditory locations relative to either the head orientation or the point of fixation. Consistent with previous research, we found both eye- and head-centred frames contributed to the VAE across all timescales. However, we found no evidence for an interaction between spatial reference frames and adaptation duration. Our results indicate that the VAE is underpinned by multiple spatial reference frames that are similarly leveraged by the underlying time-sensitive mechanisms.