A Study by the University of Padua on the Bouba-Kiki Phenomenon in Chicks
20.02.2026
Research from the University of Padua, titled "Matching sounds to shapes: Evidence of the Bouba-Kiki effect in naïve baby chicks," published in «Science» by researchers from the Departments of General Psychology and Developmental and Socialization Psychology, demonstrates that chicks also show an innate predisposition towards specific associations between sounds and shapes. In humans, the Bouba-Kiki phenomenon involves associating sounds like "Kiki" with pointed shapes and "Bouba" with rounded shapes, regardless of culture or language spoken. This study tested the Bouba-Kiki effect in chicks during their first days of life, assessing their experiences prior to the test.
Researchers Maria Loconsole, Silvia Benavides-Varela, and Lucia Regolin trained three-day-old chicks to choose a panel with an ambiguous shape to obtain food. Subsequently, the chicks were presented with two panels: one pointed and one rounded, with "Kiki" and "Bouba" sounds played in the background. The results showed that the chicks associated "Kiki" with pointed shapes and "Bouba" with rounded shapes.
To strengthen the results, the researchers tested the chicks within 24 hours of hatching, without social contact and without prior training. Even under these conditions, the chicks spent more time near the shape congruent with the sound heard, indicating an innate predisposition to associations between sounds and shapes.
"The results demonstrate that a brain predisposed to human language is not necessary to create associations between sounds and shapes," says Maria Loconsole. This study represents a starting point for new research on phonosemantics and the role of multisensory associations in the emergence of human language.
