2017 Participants
Sarah Poyntz
We know our world through our senses which analyse stimuli such as sound, light or touch. Because they rely on distinct brain pathways, these senses are often studied in isolation, but natural events usually activate multiple senses. Previous studies in our lab have demonstrated interactions between hearing and vision that are important for perceiving speech. Here our aim is to determine whether our sense of touch can also help us perceive sounds. A device will deliver fluctuating patterns of vibration to the finger-tip of human volunteers while they listen to sounds that fluctuate with the same or different pattern of loudness. In this way the student will test whether our ability to recognise patterns in sounds are influenced by touch stimuli. If such interactions occur they might be used to develop a device that helps the elderly and others with hearing problems to hear better over the telephone.
Funding source: Wellcome Trust
Supervisors: Prof Adrian Rees and Doctor Quoc Vuong