The supramodal brain: implications for auditory perception

ABSTRACT

The perceptual brain is designed around multisensory input. Areas once thought dedicated to a single sense are now known to work with multiple senses. It has been argued that the multisensory nature of the brain reflects a cortical architecture for which task, rather than sensory system, is the primary design principle. This supramodal thesis is supported by recent research on human echolocation and multisensory speech perception. In this review, we discuss the behavioural implications of a supramodal architecture, especially as they pertain to auditory perception. We suggest that the architecture implies a degree of perceptual parity between the senses and that cross-sensory integration occurs early and completely. We also argue that a supramodal architecture implies that perceptual experience can be shared across modalities and that this sharing should occur even without bimodal experience. We finish by briefly suggesting areas of future research.