The Effects of Sound Frequency Manipulation on Audiovisual “Egg Cracking” Stimuli

Abstract

Inspired by previous findings that manipulating sound frequency alters perceived crispness and freshness in potato chips (Zampini and Spence, 2004), this study investigated how the frequency components of the sound produced when cracking an eggshell influence multisensory (audiovisual) shitsukan perception. In Experiment 1, we shifted the frequency spectrum upward or downward while preserving its spectral shape. This manipulation did not produce substantial changes in perceived crispness. In Experiment 2, we examined the effects of amplifying or attenuating high-frequency components, as well as selectively removing specific frequency bands, on perceived crispness and freshness. The results showed that amplifying high-frequency components increased perceived crispness, whereas attenuating or removing them decreased both crispness and freshness. In contrast, removing low-frequency components had no clear effect. These findings suggest that perceived crispness depends not on the absolute presence of high frequencies, but rather on the relative prominence of high-frequency components within the overall spectral structure.