Distorted visual information influences audiovisual perception of voicing

Research has shown that visual information becomes less reliable when images are severely distorted. Furthermore, while voicing is generally identified from acoustical cues, it may also provide perception with visual cues. The current study investigated the impact of video distortion on the audiovisual perception of voicing. Audiovisual stimuli were presented to 30 participants with the original video quality, or with reduced video resolution (75x60 pixels, 45x36 pixels). Results revealed that in addition to increased auditory reliance with video distortion, particularly for voiceless stimuli, perception of voiceless stimuli was more influenced by the visual modality than voiced stimuli.