Abstract
This study determined if training for accuracy in temporal discrimination would transfer across sensory modalities. A fractionation method was used in which subjects bisected the durations of acoustic and visual signals at three standard intervals (6, 12, and 18 see). Absolute error was the performance index. Half of the subjects were trained with acoustic stimuli and then tested in vision; the remainder were trained in vision and tested in audition. Similar negatively accelerated acquisition functions were noted for both modalities. Positive intermodal transfer, characterized by symmetry across modalities, was obtained at all standard durations. The results were considered to provide support for the notion that a common mechanism underlies temporal discriminations in different sensory systems.
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Supported in part by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, Department of the Army, under Research Contract No. DA-49-193-2918, and by Institute of Space Sciences of the University of Cincinnati through National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NGL-36-004-014.
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Warm, J.S., Stutz, R.M. & Vassolo, P.A. Intermodal transfer in temporal discrimination. Perception & Psychophysics 18, 281–286 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199375
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199375