Touching words is not enough: How visual experience influences haptic-auditory associations in the "Bouba-Kiki" effect

Fryer, Louise; Freeman, Jonathan and Pring, Linda. 2014. Touching words is not enough: How visual experience influences haptic-auditory associations in the "Bouba-Kiki" effect. Cognition, 132(2), pp. 164-173. ISSN 0010-0277 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Since Köhler's experiments in the 1920s, researchers have demonstrated a correspondence between words and shapes. Dubbed the "Bouba-Kiki" effect, these auditory-visual associations extend across cultures and are thought to be universal. More recently the effect has been shown in other modalities including taste, suggesting the effect is independent of vision. The study presented here tested the "Bouba-Kiki" effect in the auditory-haptic modalities, using 2D cut-outs and 3D models based on Köhler's original drawings. Presented with shapes they could feel but not see, sighted participants showed a robust "Bouba-Kiki" effect. However, in a sample of people with a range of visual impairments, from congenital total blindness to partial sight, the effect was significantly less pronounced. The findings suggest that, in the absence of a direct visual stimulus, visual imagery plays a role in crossmodal integration.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2014.03.015

Keywords:

Blindness; Crossmodal integration; Sound symbolism; Touch

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
August 2014Published
5 May 2014Published Online
31 March 2014Accepted

Item ID:

10499

Date Deposited:

22 Jul 2014 06:22

Last Modified:

29 Apr 2020 16:00

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/10499

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