The Multisensory Temporal Binding Window: Perceptual Fusion, Training, and Autism

Abstract

The process of integrating information across sensory modalities is highly dependent upon the temporal coincidence of the inputs. Audiovisual information is integrated within a range of temporal offsets, known as the temporal binding window (TBW), which varies between individuals. Three particular findings relating to TBW have led us to a novel approach to address sensory integration impairments in children with autism. The first is that autistic children have an atypically wide TBW, as measured through manipulations of audiovisual illusions. Second, an individual's TBW is related to their ability to perceptually fuse audiovisual inputs, particularly as seen in the McGurk effect; the narrower the right TBW, the stronger the McGurk effect. The third finding is that the TBW is plastic. Through perceptual feedback training, our lab showed that individuals' right TBW can be narrowed. These three findings, which we will present, lead to a study of perceptual feedback training in autistic children, who may have the ability to narrow their TBW, with a possible positive impact on their ability to integrate multisensory information, specifically speech. We will conclude with the presentation of behavioral and electrophysiological data illustrating an atypical relationship between the TBW and perceptual fusion in ASD.