Increasing auditory intensity enhances temporal but deteriorates spatial accuracy in a virtual interception task

Humans are quite accurate and precise in interception performance. So far, it is still unclear what role auditory information plays in spatiotemporal accuracy and consistency during interception. In the current study, interception performance was measured as the spatiotemporal accuracy and consistency of when and where a virtual ball was intercepted on a visible line displayed on a screen based on auditory information alone. We predicted that participants would more accurately indicate when the ball would cross a target line than where it would cross the line, because human hearing is particularly sensitive to temporal parameters. In a within-subject design, we manipulated auditory intensity (52, 61, 70, 79, 88 dB) using a sound stimulus programmed to be perceived over the screen in an inverted C-shape trajectory. Results showed that the louder the sound, the better was temporal accuracy, but the worse was spatial accuracy. We argue that louder sounds increased attention toward auditory information when performing interception judgments. How balls are intercepted and practically how intensity of sound may add to temporal accuracy and consistency is discussed from a theoretical perspective of modality-specific interception behavior.