Musical training refines audiovisual integration but does not influence temporal recalibration

Abstract

Abstract When the brain is exposed to a temporal asynchrony between the senses, it will shift its perception of simultaneity towards the previously experienced asynchrony (temporal recalibration). It is unknown whether recalibration depends on how accurately an individual integrates multisensory cues or on experiences they have had over their lifespan. Hence, we assessed whether musical training modulated audiovisual temporal recalibration. Musicians (n = 20) and non-musicians (n = 18) made simultaneity judgements to flash-tone stimuli before and after adaptation to asynchronous (± 200 ms) flash-tone stimuli. We analysed these judgements via an observer model that described the left and right boundaries of the temporal integration window (decisional criteria) and the amount of sensory noise that affected these judgements. Musicians’ boundaries were narrower (closer to true simultaneity) than non-musicians’, indicating stricter criteria for temporal integration, and they also exhibited enhanced sensory precision. However, while both musicians and non-musicians experienced cumulative and rapid recalibration, these recalibration effects did not differ between the groups. Unexpectedly, cumulative recalibration was caused by auditory-leading but not visual-leading adaptation. Overall, these findings suggest that the precision with which observers perceptually integrate audiovisual temporal cues does not predict their susceptibility to recalibration.