The McGurk Effect

An interesting research study found a connection between what someone sees and what they hear.

First, watch this video.



Now, watch it again with your eyes closed. Did you hear something different? Harry McGurk discovered this and reported it in a 1976 paper.

The video is of a man saying “bah” with a voice dubbed over it that says “dah.” Our eyes and our ears work together and our brain hears “dah” until we only use our ears when we hear “bah.”

“When confronted with conflicting pieces of information, the brain decides which sense to trust.” (Angier)

This effect contradicts what was previously thought by classical scholars, that the sensory elements in the brain work independently of each other. New research has found that these elements actually interact with each other, affecting each other in small ways.

What does this mean to advertising?

It could have implications in using sound and text at the same time. If the two are not synchronized, this could cause the viewer to become confused, which will then turn them away from the ad.


Angier, Natalie. "When an Ear Witness Decides the Case." New York Times 22 June 2009. Web. 9 Oct 2010.

Chung, Karen. "Hearing with your eyes: The McGurk Effect." Intermediate Phonetics Page by Page. National Taiwan University. Web. 9 Oct 2010.