avthet

Avthet is a term used in media theory and cognitive science to describe the perceived coherence between audio and visual information in multimodal experiences. It covers the extent to which auditory and visual streams are experienced as belonging to a single event, contributing to a sense of presence or immersion. Avthet involves temporal alignment (how closely the sound matches the timing of events on screen) and semantic congruence (whether the content and meaning of what is heard fits what is seen).

The term is a neologism, formed from "audio" and a suffix derived from the Greek thet- meaning "placing" or "setting." It emerged in academic discussions about immersive media in the 2010s to describe a measurable yet subjective aspect of multisensory integration. There is no universally agreed definition, and researchers vary in emphasis on timing, content, and participant factors.

Measurement often combines subjective ratings of immersion with objective tests of synchrony detection, calibration of audiovisual onset asynchrony, and presence surveys. Typical synchrony thresholds are in the tens of milliseconds range, though sensitive contexts (e.g., fast action or high-fidelity VR) may lower the tolerance for delay.

Applications appear in film sound design, video games, and augmented/virtual reality, where high avthet is generally associated with smoother experiences. Poor avthet can disrupt immersion or produce discomfort, such as noticeable audio lag or mismatched cues.

See also: audiovisual synchrony, cross-modal perception, scene presence.