Cross-cultural differences in crossmodal correspondences between basic tastes and visual features

Abstract

We report a cross-cultural study designed to investigate crossmodal correspondences between a variety of visual features (11 colors, 15 shapes, and 2 textures) and the five basic taste terms (bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and umami). A total of 452 participants from China, India, Malaysia, and the USA viewed color patches, shapes, and textures online and had to choose the taste term that best matched the image and then rate their confidence in their choice. Across the four groups of participants, the results revealed a number of crossmodal correspondences between certain colors/shapes and bitter, sour, and sweet tastes. Crossmodal correspondences were also documented between the color white and smooth/rough textures on the one hand and the salt taste on the other. Cross-cultural differences were observed in the correspondences between certain colors, shapes, and one of the textures and the taste terms. The taste-patterns shown by the participants from the four countries tested in the present study are quite different from one another, and these differences cannot easily be attributed merely to whether a country is Eastern or Western. These findings therefore highlight the impact of cultural background on crossmodal correspondences. As such, they raise a number of interesting questions regarding the neural mechanisms underlying crossmodal correspondences.

On tasty colours and colourful tastes? Assessing, explaining, and utilizing crossmodal correspondences between colours and basic tastes

“…Indeed, this is one of the features that helps to distinguish the correspondences from those rare individuals, known as synaesthetes (with chromatic gustation), who experience colour on tasting certain foods (Synaesthesia vs. crossmodal correspondences). Having established the robustness, and cross-cultural generality of these crossmodal associations (see [71]), and having distinguished them from synaesthesia, we then go on to review the various theories that have been put forward over the years in order to account for such 'potentially surprising' links between the senses (Where do crossmodal correspondences between colour and taste come from? ).…”

“…The latest scientific insights concerning such crossmodal correspondences are now starting to be gleaned from large-scale online studies conducted in several countries simultaneously (see [71], for one recent example). The results of such studies have started to inspire and/or constrain gastronomic and artistic creations.…”

“…The key question here, though, is whether we can ever be sure that the mappings that have been suggested by writers and designers really do appeal to a wider audience? An intriguing body of empirical research conducted over the last three decades now shows that all of us (no matter whether we are synaesthetes or not) do indeed match basic tastes to colours in ways that are far from arbitrary-in the sense of being regular across individuals and consistent over time [24,28,35,65,71].…”

Five mechanisms of sound symbolic association

“…It could be informative to examine instances in which populations differ in culturally based statistical co-occurrences, and to compare their demonstrated associations. As mentioned by Wan et al (2014), one might also consider effects of geographical differences (e.g., in landscape or vegetation) on statistical co-occurrences.…”

Book Review: Synesthetic Design: Handbook for a Multisensory Approach, written by Michael Haverkamp

“…Now, it has to be acknowledged that as in any book, especially one that has only now appeared in translation, there are some topics where the author's coverage of the basic multisensory science is a little behind the times. So, for example, Haverkamp's discussion of cross-sensory design involving taste (and e.g., shape) misses out on most of the developments in this area that have been published over the last 5 or 10 years or so (e.g., Spence, 2014;Wan et al, 2014). This book, then, is not necessarily to be recommended for the food designer, or restaurateur.…”