Matching sounds to shapes: Evidence of the bouba-kiki effect in naïve baby chicks

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Loconsole, Maria; Benavides-Varela, Silvia; Regolin, Lucia
• 署名单位: University of Padua; University of Padua; University of Padua
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adq7188
• 发表日期: 2026-02-19
• 页码: 836-839
• 关键词: SPONTANEOUS PREFERENCE; BIOLOGICAL MOTION; FORM PREFERENCES; alarm calls; perception; symbolism; CORRESPONDENCES; CLASSIFICATION; COMMUNICATION; association

摘要

Humans across multiple languages spontaneously associate the nonwords kiki and bouba with spiky and round shapes, respectively, a phenomenon named the bouba-kiki effect. To explore the origin of this association, and whether it is unique to humans, we tested the bouba-kiki effect in baby domestic chickens (Gallus gallus). As a precocial species, chicks can be tested shortly after hatching, allowing us to control their pretest experiences. Similar to humans, both 3-day-old [Experiment 1 (Exp. 1)] and 1-day-old (Exp. 2) chicks spontaneously choose a spiky shape when hearing the kiki sound and a round shape when hearing the bouba sound. Results from na & iuml;ve young animals suggest a predisposed mechanism for matching the dimensions of shape and sound, which may be widespread across species.