The higher the pitch the larger its crossmodal influence on visuospatial processing

Abstract

High-pitched sounds generate larger neural responses than low-pitched sounds. We investigated whether this neural difference has implications, at cognitive level, for the 'vertical' representation of pitch. Participants performed a speeded detection of visual targets that could appear at one of four different spatial positions. Rising or falling frequency sweeps were randomly presented before the visual target. Faster reaction times to visual targets appearing above (but not below) a central fixation point were observed after the presentation of rising frequencies. No significant effects were found for falling frequency sweeps and visual targets presented below fixation point. These results suggest that the difference in the level of arousal between rising and falling frequencies influences their capacity for generating spatial representations. The fact that no difference was found, in terms of crossmodal effects, between the two upper positions may indicate that this 'spatial representation of pitch' is not specific for any particular spatial location but rather has a widespread influence over stimuli appearing in the upper visual field. The present findings are relevant for the study of music performance, the design of musical instruments, and research in areas where visual and auditory stimuli with certain complexity are combined (music in advertisements, movies, etc.).