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Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.
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Synesthesia is a remarkable condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with synesthesia experience a blending or crossing of their senses, such as sight and sound, leading to cross-modal sensations. In this condition, the stimulation of one sense, such as hearing a number or musical note, triggers an experience of another sense, like sensing a specific color, taste, or smell. People...
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New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
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Explaining Crossmodal Correspondences Between Colours and Tastes.

Charles Spence1, Carmel A Levitan2

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, UK.

I-Perception
|July 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People consistently link basic tastes like sweet and sour to specific colors. This crossmodal mapping between color and taste, observed in non-synesthetes, is robust and relevant for design and marketing.

Keywords:
colourcrossmodal correspondencescrossmodal statisticsemotional mediationsynaesthesiataste

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sensory Science
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Crossmodal correspondences between senses, such as taste and color, have been observed for centuries.
  • These associations are often studied alongside odor-color and flavor-color links, but basic tastes present unique characteristics due to the absence of identifiable source objects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the consistency and underlying mechanisms of color-taste correspondences in non-synesthetes.
  • To explore the theoretical and practical implications of these robust crossmodal associations.

Main Methods:

  • The study reviews existing literature and observational data on color-taste associations.
  • It considers potential explanations including environmental crossmodal statistics and emotional mediation.

Main Results:

  • A surprisingly high degree of consistency exists in color-taste mappings among individuals without synesthesia.
  • The robustness of these correspondences is highlighted, suggesting they are not arbitrary.

Conclusions:

  • Color-taste correspondences are a significant phenomenon meriting further research.
  • Understanding these associations is particularly relevant for fields like multisensory design and marketing.