Posted on June 11: Scientists explore how our ears, eyes and noses work together

Ever wonder why food has no taste when you have a cold? Or if blind people really hear better than sighted people? Or why you need your glasses to hear the TV?

These questions and much more will be addressed at the fourth International Multisensory Research Forum (IMRF) to be held at McMaster University June 14-17. For an overview of the conference, presenters, and papers, visit www.science.mcmaster.ca/~IMRF/2003.

Organized by David Shore, assistant professor of psychology, the conference will bring together a growing group of international scientists who focus on the integration of information from different sensory systems. Many people never consider the number of senses they actually use at one time. Even scientists who study sensory perception typically only focus on one type of sensation (i.e., vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste). For a select few though, multisensory research is quickly become an active area for research.

Explains Shore, “Everyday living is unrecognized as being multisensory. However, we live in a multisensory world. It is all of our senses working together that give us our rich perception of the world.”

Flavour, for example, is more than simply a matter of taste. Flavour is actually a complex blend of taste, smell, texture, and even sight. Think about it, says Shore, your cup of java wouldn't taste nearly the same if you couldn't savour the luscious aroma or feel the hot steam wafting above the mug. Monday, June 16 at 3 p.m., there is a symposium followed by a keynote address on this multisensory quartet.

The examination of multisensory interactions begins Sunday, June 15 at 9:30 a.m. with a session that details how, even in everyday conversations, audiovisual interactions are extremely important for comprehension. Consider the age-old adage, “I can't hear you. I'm not wearing my glasses.” Researchers have proved, through brain imaging and other tests, that listeners understand better when they can see the speaker. Visual cues, even if you can't read lips, play a large role in comprehension.

What about deaf people — who actually do read lips — can they actually see better than other people? Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., the IMRF offers a symposium devoted to understanding the consequences of sensory loss. Blind and deaf people are said to compensate for their loss with enhanced abilities in other senses. Brigitte Roeder, professor of experimental and biological psychology, Philipps-University, has organized a group of experts in the field to describe behavioural data from such people. As well, other researchers will describe data outlining how the brain compensates for sensory loss by shifting senses to different parts of the cortex.

Findings from multisensory research can be applied to many areas of everyday life, including education. Many students struggle with reading due to weak language processing. However, reading, which is often considered a purely visual task, shows evidence of being multisensory. On Monday, June 16 at 1 p.m., researcher Patricia Lindamood, of Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, discusses how her multisensory findings can be applied to help poor readers improve when these students are instructed about the audiovisual nature of their task.

Many other fundamental facts about the integration of sensory information will be discussed and presented. Sessions are held in the CIBC Banquet Hall on the third floor of the McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC). For more information on the IMRF, visit the conference Web site at www.science.mcmaster.ca/~IMRF/2003.