New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing—2nd Edition

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 November 2025 | Viewed by 489

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
INSPIRE LAB-Laboratory of Cognitive and Psychophysiological Olfactory Processes, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: olfactory cognition; Event Related Potentials (ERP); Chemosensory Related Potentials (CSERP); Olfactory Related Potential (OERP); EEG; cognitive neuroscience; attention; pheromones
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of perception has changed significantly in recent decades.

Starting from the simplest concepts of 'receptor organ' and localized receptor, the framework has extended to a 'diffuse' receptor system (e.g., photoreceptors in the blood and olfactory receptors in the stomach, intestine, sperm), where the simple sensory response and perception lose their meaning if not included in a multisensory and multilevel perception system, within a process that starts from epigenetic transformations up to endogenous perceptual transformations. Chemoceptive processes, as well as those connected to auditory, tactile, and vestibular aspects, are adapted to multisensory aspects, where the concept of single-sensory perception is abandoned to expand to a concept of integrated and multi-sense perception. Studies conducted with methodologies, such as electrophysiology, functional magnetic resonance, fNIRS and cortical stimulation techniques, are welcome. Furthermore, both clinical and basic research models are welcome. This Special Issue aims to promote scientific articles that highlight the new horizons in multisensory perception and processing.

Dr. Sara Invitto
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • chemosensory perception
  • multisensory perception
  • haptic perception
  • auditory perception
  • multisensory processing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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18 pages, 798 KiB  
Study Protocol
Prejudice, Proxemic Space, and Social Odor: The Representation of the ‘Outsider’ Through an Evolutionary Metaverse Psychology Perspective
by Sara Invitto, Francesca Ferraioli, Andrea Schito, Giulia Costanzo, Chiara Lucifora, Assunta Pompili, Carmelo Mario Vicario and Giuseppe Curcio
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(8), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15080779 - 22 Jul 2025
Viewed by 294
Abstract
Prejudices, particularly those related to social biases, are shaped by various cognitive and sensory mechanisms. This study investigates the interaction between olfactory perception and propensity and implicit or explicit prejudices through three experimental protocols in a metaverse condition. Experiment 1 examines the impact [...] Read more.
Prejudices, particularly those related to social biases, are shaped by various cognitive and sensory mechanisms. This study investigates the interaction between olfactory perception and propensity and implicit or explicit prejudices through three experimental protocols in a metaverse condition. Experiment 1 examines the impact of five different odors on proxemic behavior when interacting with individuals from stigmatized social groups. Experiment 2 integrates electroencephalography (EEG) to analyze the neural correlates of prejudice-related responses to olfactory stimuli. Experiment 3 explores implicit biases through the Implicit Association Test (IAT) in relation to different fragrances, without employing virtual reality. The proposed protocol is expected to demonstrate a significant relationship between olfactory cues, linked to social relationships, and implicit or explicit prejudices, with variations based on individual differences. These insights will contribute to psychological, neuroscientific, and social interventions, offering new perspectives on the unconscious mechanisms of bias formation. Additionally, this study highlights the potential of virtual reality and olfactory stimuli as innovative tools for studying and addressing social biases in controlled environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing—2nd Edition)
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