Auditory and cross-modal attention for the cognitive access to objects

Nicolas J. Bullot

This article aims at studying how we track and identify objects on the basis of multimodal perception. It belongs to ‘procedural' theories according to which demonstrative identification depends on using procedures of perceptual attention (e.g., Campbell, 2002; Clark, 2000; Evans, 1982; Pylyshyn, 2003; Ullman, 1984). In contrast to prevalent views according to which demonstrative identification is primarily based on the orienting of visual attention to the target object itself (Campbell, 2002: 115-16), I shall investigate an alternative Crossmodal View. According to the Crossmodal View, demonstrative identification depends more fundamentally on crossmodal attention. I shall present an argument maintaining namely that perceivers routinely use the coordinating ability of crossmodal attention to retrieve the continuity and uniqueness of the spatiotemporal path of the target object of their identification acts. The analysis will focus on examples of crossmodal links between audition and vision.

Nicolas J. Bullot. Auditory and cross-modal attention for the cognitive access to objects. 2004. ⟨ijn_00000542⟩