The CherISH network

Project 7:  Hearing Through Our Own Actions: Do We Perceive Self-Generated Sound Motion Differently?

Host Institution: UNITN Universita degli Study di Trento, Italy
Centro interdipartimentale Mente/Cervello – CIMEC

The Auditory Looming Bias is an early perceptual effect where listeners are more alert to approaching sounds (looming) than to those moving away (receding). This perceptual bias has been widely studied due to its universality and ecological significance, which likely provides an evolutionary benefit for threat avoidance activating a primal vigilance system in humans, potentially emerging from the primary auditory cortex.

A key aspect of sensorimotor integration is the facilitated processing of self-generated sounds, leading to more accurate perception. Here we investigate how auditory looming perception of self-generated sounds and passively generated sound motion vary in normal hearing participants while utilizing auditory virtual reality and psychophysical methods. Participants will experience two conditions: one where they actively generate sounds through self initiated actions (e.g., hand-held sounds, joystick movements, button press), and another where they passively listen to externally presented sounds.

If self-generated actions indeed influence auditory motion perception, these findings could be leveraged to design innovative training paradigms to improve spatial hearing and 3D sound localization abilities for cochlear implant users. The prospective research project aims to further our understanding of agency, prediction, and action in dynamic sonic environments.

 Our Partner in this project:

• ICL, Imperial College London, UK [Secondment 1&2]