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Metacognition and Crossmodal Correspondences Between Auditory Attributes and Saltiness in a Large Sample Study
Qian Janice Wang1, Steve Keller2, Charles Spence3
1Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, 5792 Aarhus, Denmark.
Multisensory Research
|August 10, 2021
Summary
This study explored sound-taste connections, finding saltiness is linked to long decay, roughness, and regular rhythms. Participants showed higher confidence when their sound-taste perceptions aligned with group consensus.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sensory Science
- Acoustics
Background:
- Crossmodal correspondences link sensory attributes, like sound and taste.
- The sonic representation of saltiness, however, remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify auditory attributes associated with saltiness.
- To assess participant confidence in these crossmodal mappings.
- To investigate the role of consensus in crossmodal judgments.
Main Methods:
- A crowd-sourced online study with 1819 participants.
- Selection of 13 auditory attributes based on prior research on saltiness.
- Analysis of associations between sound attributes and saltiness, including confidence ratings.
Main Results:
- Saltiness strongly correlated with long decay time, high auditory roughness, and regular rhythm.
- Emotional associations included negative valence, high arousal, and minor mode.
- Higher confidence ratings were linked to majority agreement, supporting the 'consensuality principle'.
Conclusions:
- Identified key auditory and emotional attributes associated with saltiness.
- Demonstrated the influence of group consensus on confidence in crossmodal perception.
- Advanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying sound-taste crossmodal correspondences.
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