Auditory self-motion illusions ("circular vection") can be facilitated by vibrations and the potential for actual motion

It has long been known that sound fields rotating around a stationary, blindfolded observer can elicit self-motion illusions ("circular vection") in 20-60% of participants. Here, we investigated whether auditory circular vection might depend on whether participants sense and know that actual motion is possible or impossible. Although participants in auditory vection studies are often seated on moveable seats to suspend the disbelief of self-motion, it has never been investigated whether this does, in fact, facilitate vection. To this end, participants were seated on a hammock chair with their feet either on solid ground ("movement impossible" condition) or suspended ("movement possible" condition) while listening to individualized binaural recordings of two sound sources rotating synchronously at 60/s. In addition, hardly noticeable vibrations were applied in half of the trials. Auditory circular vection was elicited in 8/16 participants. For those, addin...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: APGV
• Authors: Bernhard E. Riecke, Daniel Feuereissen, John J. Rieser
• Keywords: Actual Motion, APGV 2008, Auditory Circular Vection, Self-motion Illusions, Visualization