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Crossmodal associations between flavoured milk solutions and musical notes
Anne-Sylvie Crisinel1, Charles Spence
1Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK. anne-sylvie.crisinel@psy.ox.ac.uk
Acta Psychologica
|June 24, 2011
Summary
Flavours in milk consistently associate with specific musical notes and instruments. However, milk fat content affects pleasantness, not the chosen sound, revealing complex crossmodal flavour perception.
Area of Science:
- Crossmodal perception
- Food science
- Psychoacoustics
Background:
- Crossmodal associations between tastes/flavours and music are documented.
- Previous research often focused on basic tastes and individual flavours.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate flavour-sound associations in complex food stimuli (milk).
- To determine if milk fat content influences auditory crossmodal correspondences.
Main Methods:
- Participants matched flavoured milk samples (varying fat content) to musical notes (pitch and instrument class).
- Sensory attributes (pleasantness, bitterness, familiarity, intensity) of milk samples were rated.
Main Results:
- Consistent associations between milk flavours and both musical pitch and instrument class were confirmed.
- Milk fat content did not affect pitch or instrument selection.
- Fat content significantly influenced perceived pleasantness and intensity of the milk samples.
Conclusions:
- Flavour-sound associations extend beyond basic tastes to complex food stimuli like flavoured milk.
- Auditory crossmodal correspondences are present in real-world food contexts.
- This research opens avenues for understanding chemosensory representation via crossmodal correspondences.
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