Multimodal Hong Kong: A multisensory study of environmental perception of places through sight, sound, and smell

Qianxi JIANG*, PerMagnus LINDBORG, Lishan WEI, Jieling XIAO, Ran YUE

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapters, Conference Papers, Creative and Literary WorksRGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (with host publication)peer-review

Abstract

Despite the importance of soundscape and smellscape in intangible cultural heritage, little is known about multisensory interactions. To explore the impact of multiple senses on environmental perception, the present study focused on six stalls at Shek Kip Mei wet market in Hong Kong. In the first part of the study, an online survey collected perceptual ratings of whole, auditory, and visual environmental quality, as well as free-form responses of imaginations of smell. Participants (N = 36) were presented with 12 audiovisual captures where audio was either matched with video or mismatched. ANOVA was used to examine the influence of three independent factors - scenes, modes, and a priori valence groups - on the ratings. The imagined smells were analysed through frequency counts of keywords. The results demonstrate participants’ capacity to notice changes in audio modes and to perceive the environment through the recognition of scene context and multisensory interactions. In the second part of the study, not discussed in the present paper, we will extend this experimental method to include smells in a laboratory setting. We discuss the importance of understanding multisensory interactions between sight, sound, and smell for environmental perceptions and Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage and urban studies.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of INTER-NOISE 2024
PublisherInstitute of Noise Control Engineering
Pages1222-1233
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Event53rd International Congress & Exposition on Noise Control Engineering (Inter-Noise 2024): from Jules Verne’s world to multi-disciplinary approaches for Acoustics & Noise Control Engineering - La Cité Nantes Congress Centre, Nantes, France
Duration: 25 Aug 202429 Aug 2024
https://internoise2024.org/

Publication series

NameINTER-NOISE and NOISE-CON Congress and Conference Proceedings
ISSN (Print)0736-2935

Conference

Conference53rd International Congress & Exposition on Noise Control Engineering (Inter-Noise 2024)
Country/TerritoryFrance
CityNantes
Period25/08/2429/08/24
Internet address

Bibliographical note

Information for this record is supplemented by the author(s) concerned.

Research Keywords

  • perception
  • soundscape
  • smellscape
  • Hong Kong
  • Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • multisensory
  • experiment

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