Odor descriptive ratings can predict some odor-color associations in different color features of hue or lightness.

BACKGROUND

Olfactory information can be associated with color information. Researchers have investigated the role of descriptive ratings of odors on odor-color associations. Research into these associations should also focus on the differences in odor types. We aimed to identify the odor descriptive ratings that can predict odor-color corresponding formation, and predict features of the associated colors from the ratings taking into consideration the differences in the odor types.

METHODS

We assessed 13 types of odors and their associated colors in participants with a Japanese cultural background. The associated colors from odors in the CIE Lab* space were subjectively evaluated to prevent the priming effect from selecting color patches. We analyzed the data using Bayesian multilevel modeling, which included the random effects of each odor, for investigating the effect of descriptive ratings on associated colors. We investigated the effects of five descriptive ratings, namely , , , , and on the associated colors.

RESULTS

The Bayesian multilevel model indicated that the odor description of was related to the reddish hues of associated colors in three odors. was related to the yellow hues of colors in the remaining five odors. The description was related to the yellowish hues in two odors. The of the tested odors was generally related to the color lightness. The present analysis could contribute in investigating the influence of the olfactory descriptive rating that anticipates the associated color for each odor.