AUDITORY-VISUAL SHIFT IN LOCALIZATION DEPENDING ON GAZE DIRECTION

The effect of eye position on the spatial congruence of the preceived direction of auditory and visual cues was investigated, using a two-al ternative forced choice method in combination with a visual fixation t ask. The azimuth of the sound was perceived as slightly shifted to the left of a visual reference when the gaze was directed to the left, an d to the right when the gaze was to the right. The maximum magnitude o f this relative auditory-visual shift was 4.7 degrees over a range of fixation angles from 45 degrees to the left to 45 degrees to the right . The observed auditory-visual shift may reflect an incomplete transfo rmation of spatial coordinates within auditory and visual neural repre sentations, as suggested by neurophysiological recordings in the prima te midbrain.