A Comparison of Sensorimotor Adaptation in the Visual and in the Auditory Modality

Abstract

We compared sensorimotor adaptation in the visual and the auditory modality. Subjects pointed to visual targets while receiving direct spatial information about fingertip position in the visual modality, or they pointed to visual targets while receiving indirect information about fingertip position in the visual modality, or they pointed to auditory targets while receiving indirect information about fingertip position in the auditory modality. Feedback was laterally shifted to induce adaptation, and aftereffects were tested with both target modalities and both hands. We found that aftereffects of adaptation were smaller when tested with the non-adapted hand, i.e., intermanual transfer was incomplete. Furthermore, aftereffects were smaller when tested in the non-adapted target modality, i.e., intermodal transfer was incomplete. Aftereffects were smaller following adaptation with indirect rather than direct feedback, but they were not smaller following adaptation with auditory rather than visual targets. From this we conclude that the magnitude of adaptive recalibration rather depends on the method of feedback delivery (indirect versus direct) than on the modality of feedback (visual versus auditory).