The effect of covert auditory attention in multiple target aiming: kinematic evidence

Abstract

The theories of attention and motor planning postulate that both process are tightly coupled. The present study examined these theories in covert auditory attention. In two experiments, participants (N=24) reached to four target locations in the presence of a no-cue, neutral cue, 50/50, and 80/20 auditory cue. In the first experiment the cue was presented at movement initiation, while in the second experiment it was presented 130ms following movement initiation. Neutral condition cues were presented from both piezoelectric buzzers (right and left). Predictive condition cues predicted the target location on 50% or 80% of the trials. Movement trajectories were collected using an Optotrak 3D investigator. Performance and kinematic variables were analyzed, including trajectory deviations. With lateralized cues, the point at which a deviation toward the target occurred earlier in both experiments. Therefore, the presence of a random lateralized sound affected action from both a crossmodal attentional and multisensory integration perspective.