Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates

We report two experiments designed to extend the well-known Bouba/Kiki effect to the case of an unusual set of commercially produced plateware, and further to assess the influences of these plates on the expected taste of a dessert based on the theory of crossmodal correspondences. The results demon...

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Main Authors: Chen, Y, Woods, A, Spence, C
Format: Journal article
Published: Intellect 2018
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author Chen, Y
Woods, A
Spence, C
author_facet Chen, Y
Woods, A
Spence, C
author_sort Chen, Y
collection OXFORD
description We report two experiments designed to extend the well-known Bouba/Kiki effect to the case of an unusual set of commercially produced plateware, and further to assess the influences of these plates on the expected taste of a dessert based on the theory of crossmodal correspondences. The results demonstrate that plates having a smoother circumference are more likely to be matched to ‘Bouba’, while those with a pointier circumference are more likely to be matched to ‘Kiki’ instead, thus demonstrating the typical Bouba/Kiki effect. Importantly, the shape and colour of the plates modulated people’s ratings of the expected taste and liking of the ice cream/sorbet displayed on them. Specifically, the colour of the plate induced a general effect on the expected tastes that were consistent with the white-sweet and black-bitter associations, and the higher expected liking of the ice cream/sorbet was attributed to the higher colour contrast between the food and plate. The shape of the plate modulated ratings of expected liking for the chocolate ice cream and the expected sweetness of the lemon sorbet. Finally, colour and shape conjointly modulated how sour the lemon sorbet was expected to taste. These results provide relevant insights for those chefs, restaurateurs and Instagrammers wishing to optimize the plateware for specific dishes.
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spelling oxford-uuid:df40c847-4a1d-4ab3-9ff5-c795d88b1d082022-03-27T09:38:09ZSensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of platesJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:df40c847-4a1d-4ab3-9ff5-c795d88b1d08Symplectic Elements at OxfordIntellect2018Chen, YWoods, ASpence, CWe report two experiments designed to extend the well-known Bouba/Kiki effect to the case of an unusual set of commercially produced plateware, and further to assess the influences of these plates on the expected taste of a dessert based on the theory of crossmodal correspondences. The results demonstrate that plates having a smoother circumference are more likely to be matched to ‘Bouba’, while those with a pointier circumference are more likely to be matched to ‘Kiki’ instead, thus demonstrating the typical Bouba/Kiki effect. Importantly, the shape and colour of the plates modulated people’s ratings of the expected taste and liking of the ice cream/sorbet displayed on them. Specifically, the colour of the plate induced a general effect on the expected tastes that were consistent with the white-sweet and black-bitter associations, and the higher expected liking of the ice cream/sorbet was attributed to the higher colour contrast between the food and plate. The shape of the plate modulated ratings of expected liking for the chocolate ice cream and the expected sweetness of the lemon sorbet. Finally, colour and shape conjointly modulated how sour the lemon sorbet was expected to taste. These results provide relevant insights for those chefs, restaurateurs and Instagrammers wishing to optimize the plateware for specific dishes.
spellingShingle Chen, Y
Woods, A
Spence, C
Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates
title Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates
title_full Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates
title_fullStr Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates
title_full_unstemmed Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates
title_short Sensation transference from plateware to food: The sounds and tastes of plates
title_sort sensation transference from plateware to food the sounds and tastes of plates
work_keys_str_mv AT cheny sensationtransferencefromplatewaretofoodthesoundsandtastesofplates
AT woodsa sensationtransferencefromplatewaretofoodthesoundsandtastesofplates
AT spencec sensationtransferencefromplatewaretofoodthesoundsandtastesofplates