Abstract

Visual experience with the experimental setting is known to influence observer’s judgments of sound source location. The present study encompasses three experiments that sought to reveal the impact of visual experience on the ability of individuals to accurately judge whether the space between a wall and a sound source affords passage. The impact of visual experience was examined in terms of how much of the experimental setting was seen (quantity) and what observers saw of the experimental setting (quality). Quantity was defined as the square footage of space visible from a point of observation. Quality was defined in terms of whether the participant was able to view the point of observation, the location of the gap, and/or the spatial relationship between the two. The visual experience of participants, and thus their knowledge of room layout, was first- and/or secondhand. The extent to which the visual experience affected the individual’s accuracy in judging whether there is sufficient space between the wall and sound source location was determined. The findings suggest that the quantity, not the content, of visual preview is important (Experiment 1), secondhand information can enhance first-hand information (Experiment 2), and the effectiveness of a schematic appears to be dependent on whether it provides information as to the layout of the experimental setting (Experiment 3). The findings are discussed in terms of simultaneous and sequential seeing and listening, first-hand versus secondhand seeing, and the significance of the content of visual experience.