Multisensory integration, also known as multimodal integration, is the study of how information from the different sensory modalities, such as sight, sound, touch, smell, self-motion and taste, may be integrated by the nervous system. A coherent representation of objects combining modalities enables us to have meaningful perceptual experiences. Indeed, multisensory integration is central to adaptive behavior because it allows us to perceive a world of coherent perceptual entities. Multisensory integration also deals with how different sensory modalities interact with one another and alter each other's processing.
According to Barry Smith, founder at the Centre for the Study of the Senses, he believes that there is a difference between leading and misleading consumers.
"We are leading people to what's already there," he said. Dark chocolate has both bitter and sweet notes, but tasting it under certain circumstances will accentuate certain flavours. If you eat it while listening to high, tinkling music this auditory cue will bring out the sweet flavour, and vice-versa for low-pitched music. "There are lots of ways to change behaviour. The question is how to get a level of nudging or adjusting but in way that people don't feel they're being manipulated."
The first consumer for taste test for fat-free yoghurt generate negative feedback because the yoghurt was too runny. The products developers responded by adding emulsifiers but consumers found the yoghurt had a gluey consistency. The answer was to add certain odours that are associated with creaminess or to make the yoghurt heavier as weight is associated with higher fat content.
"This kind of nudge techniques can push people to make healthier choices," said Smith. "It is Important to not give consumers the impression they are being manipulated" he added.
Lead researcher at the Smell and Taste clinic in Dresden, Professor Thomas Hummel, said there was a delicate balance to strike. "People are very different in their responses, even if you are exposed to a smell you like for a long time you can get annoyed by it. This is a problem for marketing."
Smith agreed that multisensory experiences are effective whwn they occur imperceptibly. "The smells that do work are the ones that are so low you don't notice. You walk into a hotel scented with vanilla and feel relaxed. It's under the radar."
