Cite as:
Walker P, 2012, "Cross-sensory correspondences and naive conceptions of natural phenomena" Perception 41(5) 620 – 622
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Cross-sensory correspondences and naive conceptions of natural phenomena

Peter Walker

Abstract. Cross-sensory correspondences automatically intrude on performance in elaborate laboratory tasks (see Spence 2011 971–995, for a review). Outside such tasks, might they be responsible for some popular misconceptions about natural phenomena? Four simple demonstrations reveal how the correspondences between surface-lightness and weight, and between surface-lightness and auditory pitch, generate misconceptions about the weight and movement of objects and the vocalisations of animals. Specifically, people expect darker objects to be heavier than lighter-coloured objects, to free-fall more quickly, to roll across a table more slowly, and to make lower-pitched vocalisations when they come to life.
Keywords: correspondences, cross-sensory, conceptions of natural phenomena, naive science, object motion, surface lightness, pitch of vocalisation

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