Vision dominates audition except where visual events are absent or ambushed

Evidence

Efficient use of sensory functions and communication has been one of the most important factors in the evolution and survival of animals in nature. Especially for the highest forms of evolution, vision and hearing are the two main modalities to support this view in a complementary way. Visual information, based on the laws of optics, reflects the environment in a geometrically appropriate and reliable manner, while auditory sensing and perception, based on the laws of acoustics, are less dependent on physical constraints such as obstacles between an observer and objects to be perceived. Vision often dominates audition, especially if an object is clearly visible or moving, while hearing may capture important information even when there are no perceivable visual events. Sensory integration, i.e., fusion of information from different modalities into a coherent percept, is characteristic of living species. Only when senses provide conflicting cues must they compete for contribution to the final percept. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 63

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘sensory integration’ as fusion of different-modal information into a coherent percept.