2026 Volume 33 Issue 3 Pages 464-477
Audio–tactile integration is known to reduce spatial discrepancies between sound and touch, but it remains unclear whether this effect differs across body parts. Preliminary observations using an illusion apparatus suggested that synchronous audio–tactile stimulation involving tactile contact to the head can induce an illusion in which externally presented sounds are perceived inside the head. The present study therefore investigated whether the audio–tactile magnet effect—the attraction of perceived sound location toward synchronous tactile stimulation—is selectively enhanced at the head. Two experiments were conducted under visually deprived conditions using periodic tactile stimulation synchronized with continuous changes in sound frequency presented from the front. Experiment 1 compared tactile stimulation applied to the head and shoulder across different sound-distance conditions using subjective ratings and pointing responses. Experiment 2 further controlled tactile contact site and surface texture by including both direct body contact and indirect contact mediated by the participant’s hand, allowing comparisons among stimulation applied to the head, shoulder, and hand. Across both experiments, attraction of perceived sound location was consistently strongest when tactile stimulation was applied to the head, whereas effects at non-head body parts were significantly weaker. These findings suggest that audio–tactile coupling at the head selectively enhances the audio–tactile magnet effect.
