What's Up with High- and Low-Pitched Sounds? Reference Frames used in the Crossmodal Correspondence Between Auditory Pitch and Visuospatical Height

Low- and high-pitched sounds are perceptually associated with low and high visuospatial elevations, respectively. The spatial properties of this association are not well understood so two experiments were performed to investigate the following questions. Can low and high tones be used as spatial cues to upright for self-orientation? And what spatial frame(s) of reference is used to perceptually bind these crossmodal features? In experiment 1, participants’ Perceptual Upright (PU) was measured with and without presented auditory orientation cues but there was no effect of sound. In experiment 2, the biasing effects of ascending and descending tones on ambiguous visual motion was measured when presented along both the gravitational and body reference frames, while participants sat either upright or laid on their side. There were effects of sound along both reference frames. A model predicting the axis of optimal association tentatively explains the findings of experiments 1 and 2.