Crossmodal correspondences

Question 1

Do crossmodal correspondeces exist?

Answer 1

Good literature support that they do:
Buba Kiki effect - speech sound and rounded versus spikey shape, effect found cross culturally, links to sound symbolism idea that sounds not arbitrarily linked to what they describe e.g., letter K angular letter B rounded
Sapir 1929 - Mil and Mal - speech sound and large versus small circle
Thermal correspondences e.g., red hot tap and blue cold tap, convention or from envrionement e.g., flames and turning blue cold
Lots of differnt correspondences found, including colours and scents and pitch and location/form/colour

Question 2

What are corssmodal correspondences?

Answer 2

Tendency for a sensory feature or atrbute in one modality either present or merely imagined to be matched or associated with a sensory feature in another sensory modality, feeling that things belong together when no correct answer, consensual shared across groups

Question 3

How do crossmodal correspondences affect multisensory integration?

Answer 3

Affect temporal and spatial binding - better at binding when correspond and worse at distinguishing when don’t correspond

Question 4

Explain how crossmodal correspondences modulate temporal binding

Answer 4

Parise and Spence 2009 - temporal judgement task for size of circle and pitch harder when croossmodal correspondence compared to mistmatch, correspondence makes harder to segregate/makes bind together

Question 5

Explain how crossmodal correspondences modulate spatial binding

Answer 5

Ventriloquism effect - percieved location of auditory stimulus is pulled towards location of visual stimulus e.g. Jackson 1953 semicircle arrangement sound of electric spark pulled towards light

Question 6

Explain how crossmodal correspondences affect multisensory integration performance generally

Answer 6

Klapatek et al. 2012 - Pip and pop effect in visual search task, lines of different orientation flash on screen, playing pip sound in time with target line makes it pop out

Question 7

Explain where in the brain crossmodal correspondences might be represented

Answer 7

Bien et al 2012 - TMS stimulation over right intraparietal sulcus (area known for multisensory processes) disrupts crossmodal correspondences and improves temporal/spatial judgement task performance
Different correspondences may be represented by diferent areas and be at different stages in processes e.g., some more automatic some more voluntary

Question 8

Explain the types of crossmodal correspondences

Answer 8

Statistical = learnt from statistical regularities of the environment e.g., correlation between sound emitting objects in real world and their elevation
Semantic = linked by common usage of terms e.g., high-pitch and high-elevation
Affective = linked by shared emotional response - thought to be most common
Palmer et al. 2013 - able to predict matches of classical music to colours via emotions
Match sweet tastes to round shape as both pleasant and bitter taste to angular shape as potentially dangerous

Question 9

Explain the distinction from synaesthesia

Answer 9

Crossmodal correspondences seen under many names in literature some involve term synaesthesia, but different - synaesthesia is idiosyncratic and often involves inducer and concurrent but correspondences shared across groups, synaesthetes can experience both