Repeatedly experiencing the McGurk effect induces long-lasting changes in auditory speech perception

Abstract

In the McGurk effect, presentation of incongruent auditory and visual speech evokes a fusion percept different than either component modality. We show that repeatedly experiencing the McGurk effect for 14 days induces a change in auditory-only speech perception: the auditory component of the McGurk stimulus begins to evoke the fusion percept, even when presented on its own without accompanying visual speech. This perceptual change, termed fusion-induced recalibration (FIR), was talker-specific and syllable-specific and persisted for a year or more in some participants without any additional McGurk exposure. Participants who did not experience the McGurk effect did not experience FIR, showing that recalibration was driven by multisensory prediction error. A causal inference model of speech perception incorporating multisensory cue conflict accurately predicted individual differences in FIR. Just as the McGurk effect demonstrates that visual speech can alter the perception of auditory speech, FIR shows that these alterations can persist for months or years. The ability to induce seemingly permanent changes in auditory speech perception will be useful for studying plasticity in brain networks for language and may provide new strategies for improving language learning. In the McGurk effect, seeing the talker’s face changes perception of auditory speech. Repeatedly experiencing the effect produces long-lasting changes in auditory perception, so that the McGurk fusion percept is evoked even without seeing the face.