The influence of vision on the absolute identification of sound-source position

The influence of vision on auditory localization was assessed in an absolute identification paradigm using sighted and blindfolded subjects. Vision improved the accuracy of judgments directly in front of, to the side of, and behind the head of subjects in the horizontal plane, but had little relevance to vertical-plane localization. The exact form of the observed facilitation depended on the orientation of the speaker array to the head. In a second experiment involving sound localization in 10 visual environments, there was evidence for the operation of two distinct influences of vision on directional hearing. One result supported the hypothesis that vision provides a frame of reference for judgments, and a second indicated the importance of vision to the maintenance of spatial memory.