Auditory pitch as a perceptual analogue to odor quality

Experiments iii cross-modal matching suggest that smells can be arranged by odor quality along the color dimensions of hue and lightness. Here, we report that subjects readily adjust the loudness-equalized pitch of an auditory tone to match a stimulus odor. The results allow odors to be arranged in sequence by their pitch-equivalents. The tone matches appear to be based on perceptual features of olfaction other than stimulus intensity or pleasantness. The results suggest that features of odor quality may be more accessible and structured than previously acknowledged.