Psychol Sci. 2015 Feb;26(2):237-42. doi: 10.1177/0956797614561267. Epub 2014 Dec 19.

The size-weight illusion induced through human echolocation.

Buckingham G¹, Milne JL², Byrne CM², Goodale MA².

Author information

1: Department of Psychology, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University The Brain and Mind Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario g.buckingham@hw.ac.uk.
2: The Brain and Mind Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario.

Abstract

Certain blind individuals have learned to interpret the echoes of self-generated sounds to perceive the structure of objects in their environment. The current work examined how far the influence of this unique form of sensory substitution extends by testing whether echolocation-induced representations of object size could influence weight perception. A small group of echolocation experts made tongue clicks or finger snaps toward cubes of varying sizes and weights before lifting them. These echolocators experienced a robust size-weight illusion. This experiment provides the first demonstration of a sensory substitution technique whereby the substituted sense influences the conscious perception through an intact sense.