Impact of sound on image-evoked emotions

In two experiments the effect of sound on visual information was investigated. In Experiment 1 the effect of the visual appearance of product types with an expensive deign and with an inexpensive design on the experience of the sound recordings of these products was investigated. Recordings and pictures were systematically interchanged. Thus, for example, the visual image of an expensive design was combined with a recording of the sound of an inexpensive and of an expensive design. It was found that product appearance did not affect the judgment on luxury, pleasantness, quality, and ease-of-use but that the experience of the sound dominated over the visual experience. In Experiment 2, pictures from the international affective pictures set were combined with frequency-modulated tones that varied in the amount of sensory pleasantness by manipulating the amount of roughness. The combination of sounds and pictures were rated on the valence and arousal dimensions of the circumplex model of core affect. It was found that the sounds only negatively affected the experience of the pictures on the valence dimension. The arousal level was not affected by the sounds. Both experiments show that sound can affect the perception and experience of pictures.