Merging the senses into a robust percept

Trends Cogn Sci. 2004 Apr;8(4):162-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2004.02.002.

Abstract

To perceive the external environment our brain uses multiple sources of sensory information derived from several different modalities, including vision, touch and audition. All these different sources of information have to be efficiently merged to form a coherent and robust percept. Here we highlight some of the mechanisms that underlie this merging of the senses in the brain. We show that, depending on the type of information, different combination and integration strategies are used and that prior knowledge is often required for interpreting the sensory signals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain / physiology
  • Cues
  • Field Dependence-Independence
  • Humans
  • Mental Processes / physiology*
  • Models, Psychological
  • Perception / physiology*
  • Spatial Behavior / physiology*
  • Visual Perception / physiology