Harry McGurk

The McGurk effect is a perceptual phenomenon demonstrating how our brain combines visual and auditory information to interpret speech. When someone hears a sound like "ba" but sees a person mouthing "ga," our brain often perceives a third sound, such as "da." This illusion reveals that speech perception isn't solely based on what we hear but also heavily influenced by visual cues from lip movements. The McGurk effect highlights the importance of multisensory integration in understanding speech, especially in noisy environments or situations where visual cues enhance auditory perception.