Multisensory Interactions in the Real World

Interactions between the senses are essential for cognitive functions. Past research helped understanding of multisensory processes in the laboratory, but efforts to extrapolate findings to the real-world are scarce. This Element discusses research that uncovers multisensory interactions under complex environments.

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The interactions between the senses are essential for cognitive functions such as perception, attention, and action planning. Past research helped understanding of multisensory processes in the laboratory. Yet, the efforts to extrapolate these findings to the real-world are scarce. Extrapolation to real-world contexts is important for practical and theoretical reasons. Multisensory phenomena might be expressed differently in real-world settings compared to simpler laboratory situations. Some effects might become stronger, others may disappear, and new outcomes could be discovered. This Element discusses research that uncovers multisensory interactions under complex environments, with an emphasis on the interplay of multisensory mechanisms with other processes.