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Multisensory Interplay and Theories of Consciousness

Overgaard, Morten ; Kirkeby-Hinrup, Asger LU ; Kvamme, Timo L. and Wang, Qian Janice (2024) In Psychology of Consciousness: Theory Research, and Practice
Abstract

Sensory interplay typically refers to cases where the content of one sensory modality affects the content of another sensory modality. Although there is much evidence today of such interplay, it is unknown how to interpret them. Is it a one-way causal function between two separate states (e.g., a visual process that influences an auditory process), a bidirectional relation between two separate states, or a new kind of state—as a sensory integration—that cannot be reduced to interactions between separate states? Despite these questions, the first-person perspective offers the insight that sensory modalities often integrate and that conscious content is seldom composed exclusively of one sense. Here, we explore how to understand sensory... (More)

Sensory interplay typically refers to cases where the content of one sensory modality affects the content of another sensory modality. Although there is much evidence today of such interplay, it is unknown how to interpret them. Is it a one-way causal function between two separate states (e.g., a visual process that influences an auditory process), a bidirectional relation between two separate states, or a new kind of state—as a sensory integration—that cannot be reduced to interactions between separate states? Despite these questions, the first-person perspective offers the insight that sensory modalities often integrate and that conscious content is seldom composed exclusively of one sense. Here, we explore how to understand sensory interplay and integration and how this analysis may provide a tool to analyze and investigate theories of consciousness. We argue that multisensory interplay leads the way to new empirical approaches to theory comparison that are not derivable from research in single perceptual systems, which may suggest new potential avenues of progress in consciousness science.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
consciousness, perception, perceptual integration
in
Psychology of Consciousness: Theory Research, and Practice
publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85211048167
ISSN
2326-5523
DOI
10.1037/cns0000407
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
da42a385-7433-4f4b-9350-2c1762781a63
date added to LUP
2025-01-31 14:26:29
date last changed
2025-01-31 14:27:41
@article{da42a385-7433-4f4b-9350-2c1762781a63,
  abstract     = {{<p>Sensory interplay typically refers to cases where the content of one sensory modality affects the content of another sensory modality. Although there is much evidence today of such interplay, it is unknown how to interpret them. Is it a one-way causal function between two separate states (e.g., a visual process that influences an auditory process), a bidirectional relation between two separate states, or a new kind of state—as a sensory integration—that cannot be reduced to interactions between separate states? Despite these questions, the first-person perspective offers the insight that sensory modalities often integrate and that conscious content is seldom composed exclusively of one sense. Here, we explore how to understand sensory interplay and integration and how this analysis may provide a tool to analyze and investigate theories of consciousness. We argue that multisensory interplay leads the way to new empirical approaches to theory comparison that are not derivable from research in single perceptual systems, which may suggest new potential avenues of progress in consciousness science.</p>}},
  author       = {{Overgaard, Morten and Kirkeby-Hinrup, Asger and Kvamme, Timo L. and Wang, Qian Janice}},
  issn         = {{2326-5523}},
  keywords     = {{consciousness; perception; perceptual integration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{American Psychological Association (APA)}},
  series       = {{Psychology of Consciousness: Theory Research, and Practice}},
  title        = {{Multisensory Interplay and Theories of Consciousness}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000407}},
  doi          = {{10.1037/cns0000407}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}