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How stable are taste-shape crossmodal correspondences over time?
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Description: The present research investigates the stability of taste-shape correspondences over time, exploring the temporal dimension of crossmodal interactions. While previous research has established the existence of taste-shape correspondences, this study addresses their consistency through a test-retest paradigm. Drawing parallels with the concept of synaesthesia, in which stability is used as a criteria, the research focuses on taste-shape associations, a domain not previously explored for temporal stability. Participants engaged in a task where they rated the perceived curvature and symmetry of taste words (sweet, umami, sour, salty, bitter) and their liking of tastes and shapes. The same participants underwent this task in three separate tests conducted over a two-week period. The results consistently replicated previous findings, revealing that sweet tastes were perceived as significantly more curved and symmetrical than other tastes, and umami was rated as more curved and symmetrical than sour, salty, and bitter tastes. Notably, the study found moderate-to-substantial test-retest reliability for most taste-shape correspondences, indicating robust stability over time. Analyses suggested that differences in assessments between test and retest sessions were primarily due to random error, with no systematic biases. However, a small subset of participants showed significant differences in their associations, particularly for umami-related correspondences. This research contributes to our understanding of taste-shape correspondences by demonstrating their temporal stability, offering insights into the dynamics of taste, curvature, symmetry, and liking. We posit that consistency might be used as a criteria for determining the existence of a given crossmodal correspondence. The findings have implications for product design and marketing, emphasizing the importance of considering temporal aspects when capitalizing on crossmodal correspondences in the creation of product expectations and experiences.