Figure 1
From: Multisensory Gains in Simple Detection Predict Global Cognition in Schoolchildren
Multisensory gains in simple detection predict memory as well as fluid intelligence in schoolchildren. (A) Simple detection task; children were asked to press a button as fast as possible whenever a stimulus (auditory, visual or auditory-visual multisensory) was perceived. On average, reaction times were significantly faster for multisensory than for either auditory or visual stimuli (p < 0.001 and p < 0.035, respectively). For each child, a measure of multisensory gain was derived, equal to the relative difference in mean reaction time between the multisensory and the better unisensory condition. This percentage of multisensory gain (plotted on the y-axis in panels B–D) was linearly related to several measures of cognitive functioning, including recognition memory on a continuous old/new recognition task (B), working memory as assessed with the ascending digit task (C), and fluid intelligence as measured with Raven’s Progressive Matrices (D). The images in panel B are from the Snodgrass and Vanderwart (1980) database85.
