Cross - Modal Influences on Gustatory Perception

Abstract

Consumption experiences typically involve inputs from multiple sensory modalities. However, consumer research has seldom investigated how multiple sensory inputs may interact to affect such experiences. This research examines whether inputs from one sensory modality can influence the experience of a stimulus in another sensory modality. In a series of experiments, we find that shapes (jagged versus rounded) or lighting (bright versus dim) presented in temporal proximity to a gustatory stimulus influences participants' taste judgments as well as consumption. These findings suggest a correspondence between sensory stimuli that are typically thought to belong to categorically distinct sensory modalities.