'Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG)'
Abstract
The study reported here investigated the influence of audiovisual stimuli signaling the likely temperature (the presence versus absence of ice cubes), the likely level of carbonation (the presence versus absence of bubbles), and the color of the liquid on the categorization of freshness in beverages. Participants made speeded categorization responses (“fresh” versus “not fresh”) concerning the bimodal stimuli. When the stimuli were categorized as fresh, visible ice cubes decreased the participants’ reaction times (RTs) the most, followed by the sound of ice cubes, and then the sound of carbonation. Overall, the participants categorized more the stimuli as fresh in the presence of ice cubes visible in the drink. When presented together, the targeted audiovisual perceptual features exerted an additive effect in both decreasing RTs and increasing the likelihood that beverages would be categorized of fresh. No significant effect of beverage color (manipulated between‐participants) was observed. These results are discussed in terms of the crossmodal interaction effects that might be expected to influence the multisensory experience of freshness in beverages
