In a nutshell
With a ventriloquist’s dummy, the voice seems to come from its moving mouth. In a cinema, too, speech is usually located on the screen even though the speakers are elsewhere.
Why does it happen?
The brain assesses whether visual and auditory signals that match in time probably have the same cause. For location, more precise visual information can shift hearing toward it. The effect does not increase without limit: large spatial or temporal mismatches can prevent the signals from being assigned together.
Frequency
Shifting the apparent location of a heard sound through matching visual cues is a common perceptual effect. How pronounced it is depends on the timing and spatial relationship of the stimuli.
Frequency is a qualitative description, not your individual probability.
Is it normal?
Normal integration of multiple senses.
Does this happen to you?
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Sources (1)
- The Ventriloquist Illusion as a Tool to Study Multisensory Processing: An Update (opens a new tab)
Visual information can shift the perceived position of a sound; spatial and temporal matching affect integration.
Editorial update: . AI-assisted research and editing; not individually reviewed by a physician. How we research
