Cross-modal induction of changes in sensory thresholds

Two experiments are reported in which subliminal stimulation of one modality with emotional material impairs detection performance in a different modality. In the first experiment the visual awareness threshold for neutral material was raised by simultaneous auditory presentation of emotional words. This result supports the hypothesis that threshold changes induced by emotional stimulation are mediated centrally. In the second experiment a similar effect was obtained when the experimental roles of the two modalities were reversed. An analysis of the effect in terms of the parameters of Signal Detectability Theory indicates that it is mediated by a lowering of the sensitivity of the detection mechanism. This may be caused either by attenuation of incoming signals, or by an increase in the level of “noise” against which the signal is received.