The name is absent

89

Introduction

Ourperceptualsystemsarefrequentlyconfrontedwithsimultaneous
information from multiple sensory modalities. Forexample, while hearing the buzzing
sound of a mosquito, we may also feel the mosquito attempting to land on our neck.
Although there have been numerous studies of auditory-visual (Bertelson 1999;
Bertelson and Aschersleben 1998; Recanzone 1998; Vroomen and Gelder 2000) and
visual-tactile interactions (Ernst, et al. 2000; Kennett, et al. 2001; Pavani, et al. 2000; Ro,
et al. 2004; Rock, et al. 1965; Rock and Victor 1964; Tipper, et al. 1998; Tipper, et al.
2001), little is known about the psychological rules governing the interactions between
Soundandtouch.

This is not because the two modalities are unrelated. Indeed, some studies have
shown that certain types of sounds can affect some aspects of touch perception in
systematic ways (Gescheider, et al. 1969; Guest, et al. 2002; Hotting and Roder 2004;
Jousmaki and Hari 1998; Navarra, et al. 2007; Serino, et al. 2007; Sherrick 1976) and that
touch can also affect sound perception (Gillmeister and Eimer 2007). In fact, under
some conditions sound alone can invoke certain somatosensory percepts, such as the
sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard (Halpern, et al. 1986). We may also feel the
vibrations from a loud car stereo, experience tingling sensations from a ringing phone,
or feel sharpness from the sound of breaking glass. These strong associations between
sound and touch may be a consequence of similar encoding mechanisms: both senses
process information that produces mechanical displacements of tissue (i.e. the tympanic

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