Interference from semantically distracting sounds in action scene search

Abstract

Research on visual searching has highlighted the role of crossmodal interactions between semantically congruent visual and auditory stimuli. Typically, such sounds facilitate performance. Conversely, semantically incongruent sounds may impair visual search efficiency for action scenes, though consensus has yet to be reached. This study investigated whether interference effects occur within the action-scene search paradigm. Participants performed a search task involving four simultaneously presented video stimuli, accompanied by one of three sound conditions: sound congruent with the target, congruent with a distractor, or a control sound. Auditory interference was observed, though it was relatively weak and varied across conditions rather than being simply present or absent. The observed variability in interference effects may align with the established view that observers typically ignore semantic distractor information in goal-directed searches, except in cases where the strength of target designation is compromised. These findings offer insights into the complex interplay between auditory and visual stimuli in action scene searches, suggesting that these underlying mechanisms may also apply to other paradigms, such as those involving conventional real object searches.