When distance matters: Perceptual bias and behavioral response for approaching sounds in peripersonal and extrapersonal space

Abstract

Studies on sound perception show a tendency to overestimate the distance of an approaching sound source, leading to a faster reaction time compared to a receding sound source. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether motor preparation and execution change according to the perceived sound direction and distance, particularly when the sound falls inside the individual's peripersonal space. In this study we developed several auditory stimuli by means of two speakers, generating sounds moving toward the perceiver but stopping at different distances from her/him. Participants were asked to raise their arms as soon as the sound stopped, and their premotor and motor movement components were recorded by means of electromyography (EMG). Error in locating the perceived sound distance was also measured by asking participants to walk to the point in space where they believed the sound had stopped. Results showed that action initiation was anticipated as a function of sound distance: the closer the sound, the earlier the movement onset, when the sound entered the subject's peripersonal space. Less error for distance estimation was present when the sound was inside the peripersonal space with a modulation in the order of a few centimeters. Overall, our results reveal a link between perceptual bias in sound distance evaluation and peripersonal space, suggesting the presence of motor plan specificity.

Keywords: motor reaction time; movement planning; peripersonal space; premotor reaction time; sound distance perception.