1
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Overvliet KE, Postma A, Röder B. Child development and the role of visual experience in the use of spatial and non-spatial features in haptic object perception. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 242:105885. [PMID: 38471382 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Previous work has suggested a different developmental timeline and role of visual experience for the use of spatial and non-spatial features in haptic object recognition. To investigate this conjecture, we used a haptic ambiguous odd-one-out task in which one object needed to be selected as being different from two other objects. The odd-one-out could be selected based on four characteristics: size, shape (spatial), texture, and weight (non-spatial). We tested sighted children from 4 to 12 years of age; congenitally blind, late blind, and adult participants with low vision; and normally sighted adults. Given the protracted developmental time course for spatial perception, we expected a shift from a preference for non-spatial features toward spatial features during typical development. Due to the dominant influence of vision for spatial perception, we expected congenitally blind adults to show a similar preference for non-spatial features as the youngest children. The results confirmed our first hypothesis; the 4-year-olds demonstrated a lower dominance for spatial features for object classification compared with older children and sighted adults. In contrast, our second hypothesis was not confirmed; congenitally blind adults' preferred categorization criteria were indistinguishable from those of sighted controls. These findings suggest an early development, but late maturation, of spatial processing in haptic object recognition independent of visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista E Overvliet
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Albert Postma
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad 500 034, India
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2
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Cao S, Kelly J, Nyugen C, Chow HM, Leonardo B, Sabov A, Ciaramitaro VM. Prior visual experience increases children's use of effective haptic exploration strategies in audio-tactile sound-shape correspondences. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 241:105856. [PMID: 38306737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Sound-shape correspondence refers to the preferential mapping of information across the senses, such as associating a nonsense word like bouba with rounded abstract shapes and kiki with spiky abstract shapes. Here we focused on audio-tactile (AT) sound-shape correspondences between nonsense words and abstract shapes that are felt but not seen. Despite previous research indicating a role for visual experience in establishing AT associations, it remains unclear how visual experience facilitates AT correspondences. Here we investigated one hypothesis: seeing the abstract shapes improve haptic exploration by (a) increasing effective haptic strategies and/or (b) decreasing ineffective haptic strategies. We analyzed five haptic strategies in video-recordings of 6- to 8-year-old children obtained in a previous study. We found the dominant strategy used to explore shapes differed based on visual experience. Effective strategies, which provide information about shape, were dominant in participants with prior visual experience, whereas ineffective strategies, which do not provide information about shape, were dominant in participants without prior visual experience. With prior visual experience, poking-an effective and efficient strategy-was dominant, whereas without prior visual experience, uncategorizable and ineffective strategies were dominant. These findings suggest that prior visual experience of abstract shapes in 6- to 8-year-olds can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of haptic exploration, potentially explaining why prior visual experience can increase the strength of AT sound-shape correspondences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibo Cao
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Julia Kelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Cuong Nyugen
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Hiu Mei Chow
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA; Department of Psychology, St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5G3, Canada
| | - Brianna Leonardo
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Aleksandra Sabov
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Vivian M Ciaramitaro
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
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3
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Bulusu V, Lazar L. Crossmodal associations between naturally occurring tactile and sound textures. Perception 2024; 53:219-239. [PMID: 38304994 DOI: 10.1177/03010066231224557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the crossmodal associations between naturally occurring sound textures and tactile textures. Previous research has demonstrated the association between low-level sensory features of sound and touch, as well as higher-level, cognitively mediated associations involving language, emotions, and metaphors. However, stimuli like textures, which are found in both modalities have received less attention. In this study, we conducted two experiments: a free association task and a two alternate forced choice task using everyday tactile textures and sound textures selected from natural sound categories. The results revealed consistent crossmodal associations reported by participants between the textures of the two modalities. They tended to associate more sound textures (e.g., wood shavings and sandpaper) with tactile surfaces that were rated as harder, rougher, and intermediate on the sticky-slippery scale. While some participants based the auditory-tactile association on sensory features, others made the associations based on semantic relationships, co-occurrence in nature, and emotional mediation. Interestingly, the statistical features of the sound textures (mean, variance, kurtosis, power, autocorrelation, and correlation) did not show significant correlations with the crossmodal associations, indicating a higher-level association. This study provides insights into auditory-tactile associations by highlighting the role of sensory and emotional (or cognitive) factors in prompting these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leslee Lazar
- Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India
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4
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Passi A, Arun SP. The Bouba-Kiki effect is predicted by sound properties but not speech properties. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:976-990. [PMID: 36525201 PMCID: PMC7615921 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02619-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Humans robustly associate spiky shapes to words like "Kiki" and round shapes to words like "Bouba." According to a popular explanation, this is because the mouth assumes an angular shape while speaking "Kiki" and a rounded shape for "Bouba." Alternatively, this effect could reflect more general associations between shape and sound that are not specific to mouth shape or articulatory properties of speech. These possibilities can be distinguished using unpronounceable sounds: The mouth-shape hypothesis predicts no Bouba-Kiki effect for these sounds, whereas the generic shape-sound hypothesis predicts a systematic effect. Here, we show that the Bouba-Kiki effect is present for a variety of unpronounceable sounds ranging from reversed words and real object sounds (n = 45 participants) and even pure tones (n = 28). The effect was strongly correlated with the mean frequency of a sound across both spoken and reversed words. The effect was not systematically predicted by subjective ratings of pronounceability or with mouth aspect ratios measured from video. Thus, the Bouba-Kiki effect is explained using simple shape-sound associations rather than using speech properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananya Passi
- Undergraduate Programme, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - S P Arun
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.
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5
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Di Stefano N, Ansani A, Schiavio A, Spence C. Prokofiev was (almost) right: A cross-cultural investigation of auditory-conceptual associations in Peter and the Wolf. Psychon Bull Rev 2024:10.3758/s13423-023-02435-7. [PMID: 38267741 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02435-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Over recent decades, studies investigating cross-modal correspondences have documented the existence of a wide range of consistent cross-modal associations between simple auditory and visual stimuli or dimensions (e.g., pitch-lightness). Far fewer studies have investigated the association between complex and realistic auditory stimuli and visually presented concepts (e.g., musical excerpts-animals). Surprisingly, however, there is little evidence concerning the extent to which these associations are shared across cultures. To address this gap in the literature, two experiments using a set of stimuli based on Prokofiev's symphonic fairy tale Peter and the Wolf are reported. In Experiment 1, 293 participants from several countries and with very different language backgrounds rated the association between the musical excerpts, images and words representing the story's characters (namely, bird, duck, wolf, cat, and grandfather). The results revealed that participants tended to consistently associate the wolf and the bird with the corresponding musical excerpt, while the stimuli of other characters were not consistently matched across participants. Remarkably, neither the participants' cultural background, nor their musical expertise affected the ratings. In Experiment 2, 104 participants were invited to rate each stimulus on eight emotional features. The results revealed that the emotional profiles associated with the music and with the concept of the wolf and the bird were perceived as more consistent between observers than the emotional profiles associated with the music and the concept of the duck, the cat, and the grandpa. Taken together, these findings therefore suggest that certain auditory-conceptual associations are perceived consistently across cultures and may be mediated by emotional associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Di Stefano
- National Research Council, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Ansani
- Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Andrea Schiavio
- University of York, School of Arts and Creative Technologies, York, UK
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6
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Barbosa Escobar F, Wang QJ. Tasty vibes: Uncovering crossmodal correspondences between tactile vibrations and basic tastes. Food Res Int 2023; 174:113613. [PMID: 37986468 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The interest in crossmodal correspondences individually involving the senses of touch and taste has grown rapidly in the last few decades. Several correspondences involving different tactile dimensions (e.g., hardness/softness, roughness/smoothness) have been uncovered, such as those between sweetness and softness and between roughness and sourness. However, a dimension that has been long overlooked, despite its pervasiveness and importance in everyday experiences, relates to tactile vibrations. The present study aimed to fill this gap and investigate crossmodal correspondences between basic tastes and vibrations. In the present study (N = 72), we uncovered these associations by having participants sample basic taste (i.e., sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami) aqueous solutions and chose the frequency of vibrations, delivered via a consumer-grade subwoofer wristband on their dominant hand, that they most strongly associated with each taste. We found that sourness was most strongly associated with frequencies around 98 Hz, and that sweetness and umami were associated with frequencies around 77 Hz. These correspondences may, to different extents, be based on affective and semantic mechanisms. The findings have relevant implications for theoretical research on multisensory integration and perception and the potential future applications of these associations, through wearable technologies, to enhance eating experiences and promote healthier eating habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Barbosa Escobar
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
| | - Qian Janice Wang
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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7
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Piller S, Senna I, Ernst MO. Visual experience shapes the Bouba-Kiki effect and the size-weight illusion upon sight restoration from congenital blindness. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11435. [PMID: 37454205 PMCID: PMC10349879 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38486-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Bouba-Kiki effect is the systematic mapping between round/spiky shapes and speech sounds ("Bouba"/"Kiki"). In the size-weight illusion, participants judge the smaller of two equally-weighted objects as being heavier. Here we investigated the contribution of visual experience to the development of these phenomena. We compared three groups: early blind individuals (no visual experience), individuals treated for congenital cataracts years after birth (late visual experience), and typically sighted controls (visual experience from birth). We found that, in cataract-treated participants (tested visually/visuo-haptically), both phenomena are absent shortly after sight onset, just like in blind individuals (tested haptically). However, they emerge within months following surgery, becoming statistically indistinguishable from the sighted controls. This suggests a pivotal role of visual experience and refutes the existence of an early sensitive period: A short period of experience, even when gained only years after birth, is sufficient for participants to visually pick-up regularities in the environment, contributing to the development of these phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Piller
- Applied Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
- Transfer Center for Neuroscience and Education (ZNL), Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Irene Senna
- Applied Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Marc O Ernst
- Applied Cognitive Psychology, Faculty for Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
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8
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Pinardi M, Di Stefano N, Di Pino G, Spence C. Exploring crossmodal correspondences for future research in human movement augmentation. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1190103. [PMID: 37397340 PMCID: PMC10308310 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1190103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
"Crossmodal correspondences" are the consistent mappings between perceptual dimensions or stimuli from different sensory domains, which have been widely observed in the general population and investigated by experimental psychologists in recent years. At the same time, the emerging field of human movement augmentation (i.e., the enhancement of an individual's motor abilities by means of artificial devices) has been struggling with the question of how to relay supplementary information concerning the state of the artificial device and its interaction with the environment to the user, which may help the latter to control the device more effectively. To date, this challenge has not been explicitly addressed by capitalizing on our emerging knowledge concerning crossmodal correspondences, despite these being tightly related to multisensory integration. In this perspective paper, we introduce some of the latest research findings on the crossmodal correspondences and their potential role in human augmentation. We then consider three ways in which the former might impact the latter, and the feasibility of this process. First, crossmodal correspondences, given the documented effect on attentional processing, might facilitate the integration of device status information (e.g., concerning position) coming from different sensory modalities (e.g., haptic and visual), thus increasing their usefulness for motor control and embodiment. Second, by capitalizing on their widespread and seemingly spontaneous nature, crossmodal correspondences might be exploited to reduce the cognitive burden caused by additional sensory inputs and the time required for the human brain to adapt the representation of the body to the presence of the artificial device. Third, to accomplish the first two points, the benefits of crossmodal correspondences should be maintained even after sensory substitution, a strategy commonly used when implementing supplementary feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Pinardi
- NeXT Lab, Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction Research Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Di Stefano
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Pino
- NeXT Lab, Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction Research Unit, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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9
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Abstract
Roughness is a perceptual attribute typically associated with certain stimuli that are presented in one of the spatial senses. In auditory research, the term is typically used to describe the harsh effects that are induced by particular sound qualities (i.e., dissonance) and human/animal vocalizations (e.g., screams, distress cries). In the tactile domain, roughness is a crucial factor determining the perceptual features of a surface. The same feature can also be ascertained visually, by means of the extraction of pattern features that determine the haptic quality of surfaces, such as grain size and density. By contrast, the term roughness has rarely been applied to the description of those stimuli perceived via the chemical senses. In this review, we take a critical look at the putative meaning(s) of the term roughness, when used in both unisensory and multisensory contexts, in an attempt to answer two key questions: (1) Is the use of the term 'roughness' the same in each modality when considered individually? and (2) Do crossmodal correspondences involving roughness match distinct perceptual features or (at least on certain occasions) do they merely pick-up on an amodal property? We start by examining the use of the term in the auditory domain. Next, we summarize the ways in which the term roughness has been used in the literature on tactile and visual perception, and in the domain of olfaction and gustation. Then, we move on to the crossmodal context, reviewing the literature on the perception of roughness in the audiovisual, audiotactile, and auditory-gustatory/olfactory domains. Finally, we highlight some limitations of the reviewed literature and we outline a number of key directions for future empirical research in roughness perception.
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10
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Spence C. Exploring Group Differences in the Crossmodal Correspondences. Multisens Res 2022; 35:495-536. [PMID: 35985650 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-bja10079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There has been a rapid growth of interest amongst researchers in the cross-modal correspondences in recent years. In part, this has resulted from the emerging realization of the important role that the correspondences can sometimes play in multisensory integration. In turn, this has led to an interest in the nature of any differences between individuals, or rather, between groups of individuals, in the strength and/or consensuality of cross-modal correspondences that may be observed in both neurotypically normal groups cross-culturally, developmentally, and across various special populations (including those who have lost a sense, as well as those with autistic tendencies). The hope is that our emerging understanding of such group differences may one day provide grounds for supporting the reality of the various different types of correspondence that have so far been proposed, namely structural, statistical, semantic, and hedonic (or emotionally mediated).
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, New Radcliffe House, Walton Street, Oxford, OX2 6BW, UK
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11
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Bruns P, Li L, Guerreiro MJ, Shareef I, Rajendran SS, Pitchaimuthu K, Kekunnaya R, Röder B. Audiovisual spatial recalibration but not integration is shaped by early sensory experience. iScience 2022; 25:104439. [PMID: 35874923 PMCID: PMC9301879 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Bruns
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Corresponding author
| | - Lux Li
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2M1, Canada
| | - Maria J.S. Guerreiro
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Idris Shareef
- Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034, India
| | - Siddhart S. Rajendran
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034, India
| | - Kabilan Pitchaimuthu
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034, India
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034, India
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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12
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Wong LS, Kwon J, Zheng Z, Styles SJ, Sakamoto M, Kitada R. Japanese Sound-Symbolic Words for Representing the Hardness of an Object Are Judged Similarly by Japanese and English Speakers. Front Psychol 2022; 13:830306. [PMID: 35369145 PMCID: PMC8965287 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.830306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Contrary to the assumption of arbitrariness in modern linguistics, sound symbolism, which is the non-arbitrary relationship between sounds and meanings, exists. Sound symbolism, including the “Bouba–Kiki” effect, implies the universality of such relationships; individuals from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds can similarly relate sound-symbolic words to referents, although the extent of these similarities remains to be fully understood. Here, we examined if subjects from different countries could similarly infer the surface texture properties from words that sound-symbolically represent hardness in Japanese. We prepared Japanese sound-symbolic words of which novelty was manipulated by a genetic algorithm (GA). Japanese speakers in Japan and English speakers in both Singapore and the United States rated these words based on surface texture properties (hardness, warmness, and roughness), as well as familiarity. The results show that hardness-related words were rated as harder and rougher than softness-related words, regardless of novelty and countries. Multivariate analyses of the ratings classified the hardness-related words along the hardness-softness dimension at over 80% accuracy, regardless of country. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the number of speech sounds /g/ and /k/ predicted the ratings of the surface texture properties in non-Japanese countries, suggesting a systematic relationship between phonetic features of a word and perceptual quality represented by the word across culturally and linguistically diverse samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Shan Wong
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jinhwan Kwon
- Faculty of Education, Kyoto University of Education, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Zane Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Lasell University, Newton, MA, United States
| | - Suzy J Styles
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Maki Sakamoto
- Department of Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Japan
| | - Ryo Kitada
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
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13
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Bottini R, Nava E, De Cuntis I, Benetti S, Collignon O. Synesthesia in a congenitally blind individual. Neuropsychologia 2022; 170:108226. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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14
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Speed LJ, Croijmans I, Dolscheid S, Majid A. Crossmodal Associations with Olfactory, Auditory, and Tactile Stimuli in Children and Adults. Iperception 2021; 12:20416695211048513. [PMID: 34900211 PMCID: PMC8652194 DOI: 10.1177/20416695211048513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
People associate information with different senses but the mechanism by which this happens is unclear. Such associations are thought to arise from innate structural associations in the brain, statistical associations in the environment, via shared affective content, or through language. A developmental perspective on crossmodal associations can help determine which explanations are more likely for specific associations. Certain associations with pitch (e.g., pitch-height) have been observed early in infancy, but others may only occur late into childhood (e.g., pitch-size). In contrast, tactile-chroma associations have been observed in children, but not adults. One modality that has received little attention developmentally is olfaction. In the present investigation, we explored crossmodal associations from sound, tactile stimuli, and odor to a range of stimuli by testing a broad range of participants. Across the three modalities, we found little evidence for crossmodal associations in young children. This suggests an account based on innate structures is unlikely. Instead, the number and strength of associations increased over the lifespan. This suggests that experience plays a crucial role in crossmodal associations from sound, touch, and smell to other senses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Speed
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ilja Croijmans
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah Dolscheid
- Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Biopsychology & Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology & Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Asifa Majid
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
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15
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Cuturi LF, Cappagli G, Tonelli A, Cocchi E, Gori M. Perceiving size through sound in sighted and visually impaired children. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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16
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Chen N, Watanabe K, Wada M. People With High Autistic Traits Show Fewer Consensual Crossmodal Correspondences Between Visual Features and Tastes. Front Psychol 2021; 12:714277. [PMID: 34566793 PMCID: PMC8457010 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.714277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Crossmodal correspondences between visual features (e.g., color/shape) and tastes have been extensively documented in recent years. Visual colors and shapes have been shown to consensually match to specific tastes. Meanwhile, individuals with autism spectrum disorder are reported to have atypical sensory processing and deficits in multisensory integration. However, the influence of autistic traits on the formation of such correspondences is relatively unknown. Here, we examined whether autistic traits could influence visual–taste associations using an online questionnaire survey among Japanese participants. The results showed that the participants exhibited strong color–taste, shape–taste, and shape–color associations, and the proportions of choosing the consensual color–taste/shape–color associations were significantly associated with autistic traits. The participants with higher autistic quotient scores chose fewer of the consensual color–taste/shape–color associations while there was no difference in choosing shape–taste associations. We interpreted the results as statistical learning with a reduced prior knowledge effect in participants with higher autistic quotient scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons With Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Japan
| | - Katsumi Watanabe
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.,Faculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Makoto Wada
- Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons With Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Japan
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17
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Sorokowska A, Oleszkiewicz A. Free and cued identification of individual odorants in blind and sighted individuals. J SENS STUD 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/joss.12711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Institute of Psychology University of Wroclaw Wroclaw Poland
- Taste and Smell Centre Technische Universität Dresden Dresden Germany
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18
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Chow HM, Harris DA, Eid S, Ciaramitaro VM. The feeling of "kiki": Comparing developmental changes in sound-shape correspondence for audio-visual and audio-tactile stimuli. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 209:105167. [PMID: 33915481 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sound-shape crossmodal correspondence, the naturally occurring associations between abstract visual shapes and nonsense sounds, is one aspect of multisensory processing that strengthens across early childhood. Little is known regarding whether school-aged children exhibit other variants of sound-shape correspondences such as audio-tactile (AT) associations between tactile shapes and nonsense sounds. Based on previous research in blind individuals suggesting the role of visual experience in establishing sound-shape correspondence, we hypothesized that children would show weaker AT association than adults and that children's AT association would be enhanced with visual experience of the shapes. In Experiment 1, we showed that, when asked to match shapes explored haptically via touch to nonsense words, 6- to 8-year-olds exhibited inconsistent AT associations, whereas older children and adults exhibited the expected AT associations, despite robust audio-visual (AV) associations found across all age groups in a related study. In Experiment 2, we confirmed the role of visual experience in enhancing AT association; here, 6- to 8-year-olds could exhibit the expected AT association if first exposed to the AV condition, whereas adults showed the expected AT association irrespective of whether the AV condition was tested first or second. Our finding suggests that AT sound-shape correspondence is weak early in development relative to AV sound-shape correspondence, paralleling previous findings on the development of other types of multisensory associations. The potential role of visual experience in the development of sound-shape correspondences in other senses is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiu Mei Chow
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Daniel A Harris
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA; Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Sandy Eid
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Vivian M Ciaramitaro
- Department of Psychology, Developmental and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
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19
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Kitada R, Kwon J, Doizaki R, Nakagawa E, Tanigawa T, Kajimoto H, Sadato N, Sakamoto M. Brain networks underlying the processing of sound symbolism related to softness perception. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7399. [PMID: 33795716 PMCID: PMC8016892 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86328-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Unlike the assumption of modern linguistics, there is non-arbitrary association between sound and meaning in sound symbolic words. Neuroimaging studies have suggested the unique contribution of the superior temporal sulcus to the processing of sound symbolism. However, because these findings are limited to the mapping between sound symbolism and visually presented objects, the processing of sound symbolic information may also involve the sensory-modality dependent mechanisms. Here, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment to test whether the brain regions engaged in the tactile processing of object properties are also involved in mapping sound symbolic information with tactually perceived object properties. Thirty-two healthy subjects conducted a matching task in which they judged the congruency between softness perceived by touch and softness associated with sound symbolic words. Congruency effect was observed in the orbitofrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, insula, medial superior frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and cerebellum. This effect in the insula and medial superior frontal gyri was overlapped with softness-related activity that was separately measured in the same subjects in the tactile experiment. These results indicate that the insula and medial superior frontal gyrus play a role in processing sound symbolic information and relating it to the tactile softness information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Kitada
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639818, Singapore.
- Faculty of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University, 1-2-1 TsuruKabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.
| | - Jinhwan Kwon
- Kyoto University of Education, Fukakusa-Fujimori-cho 1, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, 612-8522, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Doizaki
- Department of Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan
| | - Eri Nakagawa
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Tsubasa Tanigawa
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kajimoto
- Department of Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan
| | - Norihiro Sadato
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Maki Sakamoto
- Department of Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan
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20
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Röder B, Kekunnaya R, Guerreiro MJS. Neural mechanisms of visual sensitive periods in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:86-99. [PMID: 33242562 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Sensitive periods in brain development are phases of enhanced susceptibility to experience. Here we discuss research from human and non-human neuroscience studies which have demonstrated a) differences in the way infants vs. adults learn; b) how the brain adapts to atypical conditions, in particular a congenital vs. a late onset blindness (sensitive periods for atypical brain development); and c) the extent to which neural systems are capable of acquiring a typical brain organization after sight restoration following a congenital vs. late phase of pattern vision deprivation (sensitive periods for typical brain development). By integrating these three lines of research, we propose neural mechanisms characteristic of sensitive periods vs. adult neuroplasticity and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Jasti V Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
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21
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Spence C. Temperature-Based Crossmodal Correspondences: Causes and Consequences. Multisens Res 2020; 33:645-682. [PMID: 31923885 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-20191494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The last few years have seen an explosive growth of research interest in the crossmodal correspondences, the sometimes surprising associations that people experience between stimuli, attributes, or perceptual dimensions, such as between auditory pitch and visual size, or elevation. To date, the majority of this research has tended to focus on audiovisual correspondences. However, a variety of crossmodal correspondences have also been demonstrated with tactile stimuli, involving everything from felt shape to texture, and from weight through to temperature. In this review, I take a closer look at temperature-based correspondences. The empirical research not only supports the existence of robust crossmodal correspondences between temperature and colour (as captured by everyday phrases such as 'red hot') but also between temperature and auditory pitch. Importantly, such correspondences have (on occasion) been shown to influence everything from our thermal comfort in coloured environments through to our response to the thermal and chemical warmth associated with stimulation of the chemical senses, as when eating, drinking, and sniffing olfactory stimuli. Temperature-based correspondences are considered in terms of the four main classes of correspondence that have been identified to date, namely statistical, structural, semantic, and affective. The hope is that gaining a better understanding of temperature-based crossmodal correspondences may one day also potentially help in the design of more intuitive sensory-substitution devices, and support the delivery of immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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22
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Abstract
Cross-sensory correspondences can reflect crosstalk between aligned conceptual feature dimensions, though uncertainty remains regarding the identities of all the dimensions involved. It is unclear, for example, if heaviness contributes to correspondences separately from size. Taking steps to dissociate variations in heaviness from variations in size, the question was asked if a heaviness-brightness correspondence will induce a congruity effect during the speeded brightness classification of simple visual stimuli. Participants classified the stimuli according to whether they were brighter or darker than the mid-gray background against which they appeared. They registered their speeded decisions by manipulating (e.g., tapping) the object they were holding in either their left or right hand (e.g., left for bright, right for dark). With these two otherwise identical objects contrasting in their weight, stimuli were classified more quickly when the relative heaviness of the object needing to be manipulated corresponded with the brightness of the stimulus being classified (e.g., the heavier object for a darker stimulus). This novel congruity effect, in the guise of a stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility effect, was induced when heaviness was isolated as an enduring feature of the object needing to be manipulated. It was also undiminished when participants completed a concurrent verbal memory load task, countering claims that the heaviness-brightness correspondence is verbally mediated. Heaviness, alongside size, appears to contribute to cross-sensory correspondences in its own right and in a manner confirming the far-reaching influence of correspondences, extending here to the fluency with which people communicate simple ideas by manipulating a hand-held object.
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23
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Abstract
To ensure that listeners pay attention and do not habituate, emotionally intense vocalizations may be under evolutionary pressure to exploit processing biases in the auditory system by maximising their bottom-up salience. This "salience code" hypothesis was tested using 128 human nonverbal vocalizations representing eight emotions: amusement, anger, disgust, effort, fear, pain, pleasure, and sadness. As expected, within each emotion category salience ratings derived from pairwise comparisons strongly correlated with perceived emotion intensity. For example, while laughs as a class were less salient than screams of fear, salience scores almost perfectly explained the perceived intensity of both amusement and fear considered separately. Validating self-rated salience evaluations, high- vs. low-salience sounds caused 25% more recall errors in a short-term memory task, whereas emotion intensity had no independent effect on recall errors. Furthermore, the acoustic characteristics of salient vocalizations were similar to those previously described for non-emotional sounds (greater duration and intensity, high pitch, bright timbre, rapid modulations, and variable spectral characteristics), confirming that vocalizations were not salient merely because of their emotional content. The acoustic code in nonverbal communication is thus aligned with sensory biases, offering a general explanation for some non-arbitrary properties of human and animal high-arousal vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Anikin
- Division of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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24
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Richardson M, Thar J, Alvarez J, Borchers J, Ward J, Hamilton-Fletcher G. How Much Spatial Information Is Lost in the Sensory Substitution Process? Comparing Visual, Tactile, and Auditory Approaches. Perception 2019; 48:1079-1103. [PMID: 31547778 DOI: 10.1177/0301006619873194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) can convey visuospatial information through spatialised auditory or tactile stimulation using wearable technology. However, the level of information loss associated with this transformation is unknown. In this study, novice users discriminated the location of two objects at 1.2 m using devices that transformed a 16 × 8-depth map into spatially distributed patterns of light, sound, or touch on the abdomen. Results showed that through active sensing, participants could discriminate the vertical position of objects to a visual angle of 1°, 14°, and 21°, and their distance to 2 cm, 8 cm, and 29 cm using these visual, auditory, and haptic SSDs, respectively. Visual SSDs significantly outperformed auditory and tactile SSDs on vertical localisation, whereas for depth perception, all devices significantly differed from one another (visual > auditory > haptic). Our findings highlight the high level of acuity possible for SSDs even with low spatial resolutions (e.g., 16 × 8) and quantify the level of information loss attributable to this transformation for the SSD user. Finally, we discuss ways of closing this “modality gap” found in SSDs and conclude that this process is best benchmarked against performance with SSDs that return to their primary modality (e.g., visuospatial into visual).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jan Thar
- Media Computing Group, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
| | - James Alvarez
- Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Jan Borchers
- Media Computing Group, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
| | - Jamie Ward
- Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Giles Hamilton-Fletcher
- Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; Neuroimaging and Visual Science Laboratory, New York University Langone Health, NY, USA
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25
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Sourav S, Kekunnaya R, Shareef I, Banerjee S, Bottari D, Röder B. A Protracted Sensitive Period Regulates the Development of Cross-Modal Sound-Shape Associations in Humans. Psychol Sci 2019; 30:1473-1482. [PMID: 31483197 PMCID: PMC6787766 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619866625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans preferentially match arbitrary words containing higher- and lower-frequency phonemes to angular and smooth shapes, respectively. Here, we investigated the role of visual experience in the development of audiovisual and audiohaptic sound-shape associations (SSAs) using a unique set of five groups: individuals who had suffered a transient period of congenital blindness through congenital bilateral dense cataracts before undergoing cataract-reversal surgeries (CC group), individuals with a history of developmental cataracts (DC group), individuals with congenital permanent blindness (CB group), individuals with late permanent blindness (LB group), and controls with typical sight (TS group). Whereas the TS and LB groups showed highly robust SSAs, the CB, CC, and DC groups did not-in any of the modality combinations tested. These results provide evidence for a protracted sensitive period during which aberrant vision prevents SSA acquisition. Moreover, the finding of a systematic SSA in the LB group demonstrates that representations acquired during the sensitive period are resilient to loss despite dramatically changed experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suddha Sourav
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg
| | - Ramesh Kekunnaya
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V. Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
| | - Idris Shareef
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V. Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India
| | - Seema Banerjee
- Child Sight Institute, Jasti V. Ramanamma Children's Eye Care Center, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India.,School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
| | - Davide Bottari
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg.,IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca
| | - Brigitte Röder
- Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg
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26
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Sound symbolism in sighted and blind. The role of vision and orthography in sound-shape correspondences. Cognition 2019; 185:62-70. [PMID: 30660923 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Non-arbitrary sound-shape correspondences (SSC), such as the "bouba-kiki" effect, have been consistently observed across languages and together with other sound-symbolic phenomena challenge the classic linguistic dictum of the arbitrariness of the sign. Yet, it is unclear what makes a sound "round" or "spiky" to the human mind. Here we tested the hypothesis that visual experience is necessary for the emergence of SSC, supported by empirical evidence showing reduced SSC in visually impaired people. Results of two experiments comparing early blind and sighted individuals showed that SSC emerged strongly in both groups. Experiment 2, however, showed a partially different pattern of SSC in sighted and blind, that was mostly explained by a different effect of orthographic letter shape: The shape of written letters (spontaneously activated by spoken words) influenced SSC in the sighted, but not in the blind, who are exposed to an orthography (Braille) in which letters do not have spiky or round outlines. In sum, early blindness does not prevent the emergence of SSC, and differences between sighted and visually impaired people may be due the indirect influence (or lack thereof) of orthographic letter shape.
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