Lessons from binocular summation

Binocular summation is a very useful feature of binocular vision. With two eyes the threshold for noticing a stimulus is much lower than with one eye. As I walk down the street, I notice birds, flies, mice or insects on the sidewalk. I sense the movement, and I recognize that my threshold for detection is now unusually low. I notice movement, and I notice how subtle it is. I watch dance and I see subtle movements, and I recognize them as subtle; I see that I was not able to notice such subtleties in the past. It may, of course, be that my visual system has been educated, and those skills may still persist with one eye closed - not sure.

What makes a subtle movement stand out is that both eyes receive coherent inputs. I also suspects that every time I notice a subtle movement and the object that is moving is small, such as a dust particle, my eyes have to be sufficiently aligned. Conversely, when the inputs from both eyes are too different as is common because of strabismus, this results in confusion, and a general feeling of discomfort.

Recall that we can interpret binocular vision as a sensory integration of the inputs from both eyes, at least I propose this approach. Here is a quote that triggered my thinking of how we can apply it to other areas:

For example, winking when you talk to someone adds extra weight to your message, as does touching them. However, combining both behaviours has a synergistic effect that makes you stand out. It seems this is a key factor on how to stage presence.

(Source: link )

I suspect this is the reason why it may feel so uncomfortable and unsettling when somebody is saying one thing, but the body language or the eyes say the other. We perceive disagreement between the senses, and the responses are probably the same as with the vision. One possibility is suppression: we are only listening to what the person is saying, with an uneasy.  feeling, but generally ignoring the body language that does not match the words. This is analogous to monovision. Another possibility is ambiocular vision. Both sensory inputs can be perceived and interpreted independently, despite the contradiction. This should be easier for someone whose senses are not very integrated. I guess that people in certain occupations such as work in police or in CIA or another similar organizations can benefit from a certain lack of integration of senses, perhaps even certain autistic traits.

When different senses are in agreement, the effect is similar to binocular summation. The threshold is naturally lower, so if you want to reach people, it is advisable to use multiple senses. If what you say is in agreement with your eyes or with your body language, then you will be relying on the audiovisual integration of your listeners to reach them more effectively. When dance and music are in agreement, the whole is greater than the sum; but if there is disagreement, this results in confusion and partial suppression of what you see or of what you hear, or both. This is why it is easier to clap on the beat of the music by yourself than together with the people who are clapping off beat.

This is why if you eat too much garlic in certain social situations, this can be a problem. The people you are meeting with will have a difficult time integrating their various sensory impressions of your person. Even if they understand that this garlic smell is just an accident and does not characterize you as a person, they will still have to suppress the sense of smell, which will weaken the impression from the other senses. Furthermore, if you do not eat garlic, and leave an overall good impression, they are likely to complete your sensory image by attaching it to an appropriate pleasant smell that they happen to come across after meeting you.