Chris Robinson

From learning a language to riding a bike, most of our experiences are multisensory in nature. The fact that the brain can integrate information from different sensory modalities (hearing, vision, etc.) into a coherent and unitary experience is truly amazing given that each sensory modality simultaneously receives qualitatively different types of input (e.g., photons, molecules, pressure, etc.) and this information is processed, at least in the early stages of processing, by dedicated sensory systems. My program of research examines how infants, children, young adults, and older adults process and integrate multisensory information and how this ability sub-serves various cognitive tasks such as statistical learning, categorization, word learning, and individuation.

Area of Expertise

Cognitive Development
Perceptual Development
Multisensory processing

Recent Publications:

Robinson, C. W., & Parker., J. L. (2021). Tones slow down visuomotor responses in a visual-spatial task. Acta Psychologica, 218, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103336

Ciraolo, M. F., O'Hanlon, S. M., Robinson, C. W., & Sinnett, S. (2020). Stimulus onset modulates auditory and visual dominance. Vision, 14, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/vision4010014

Laughery, D., Pesina, N., & Robinson, C. W. (2020). Tones disrupt visual fixations and responding on a visual-spatial task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000855

Robinson, C.W., Chadwick, K.R., Parker., J.L., & Sinnett, S. (2020). Listen to your heart: Examining modality dominance using a modified oddball task. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1 - 23. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01643

Robinson, C. W., & Sloutsky, V. M. (2019). Two mechanisms underlying auditory dominance: Overshadowing and response competition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 178, 317-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.10.001

Barnhart, W. R., Rivera, S., & Robinson, C. W. (2018). Different patterns of modality dominance across development. Acta Psychologica, 182, 154-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.11.017

Barnhart, W. R., & Rivera, S., & Robinson, C. W. (2018). Effects of linguistic labels on visual attention in children and young adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1 – 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00358

Parker., J. L., & Robinson, C. W. (2018). Changes in multisensory integration across the lifespan. Psychology and Aging, 33(3) 545-558. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000244

Robinson, C. W., Hawthorn, A. M., & Rahman, A. N. (2018). Developmental differences in filtering auditory and visual distractors during visual selective attention. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02564

Robinson, C. W., Moore, R. L., & Crook, T. A. (2018). Bimodal presentation speeds up auditory processing and slows down visual processing. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02454

Dunifon, C., Rivera, S., & Robinson, C.W. (2016). Auditory stimuli automatically grab attention: Evidence from eye tracking and attentional manipulations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 1947-1958. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000276

Robinson, C.W., Chandra, M., & Sinnett, S. (2016). Existence of competing modality dominances. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 78, 1104-1114. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-016-1061-3