Effects of some variations in auditory input upon visual choice reaction time

Replicated in Exp. I with 5 undergraduates the facilitating effect of irrelevant binaural tone upon 2-choice (left vs. right) visual RT. This effect was enhanced by monaural tone ipsilateral to the choice and largely eliminated by monaural tone contralateral to the choice. Comparable effects were obtained in Exp. II with 5 undergraduates using high- vs. low-frequency binaural tones and 2 visual alternatives that were located diagonally with regard to fixation. Auditory and visual stimuli were thus describable as high or low. RT was more rapid when both frequency and vertical position were similar (both high or both low) than when they were opposite (1 high, the other low). The RT difference between ipsilateral (Exp. I) or similar (Exp. II) and control visual-auditory pairings were essentially the same when tone conveyed no response information vs. when it did convey response information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).