Recent publications

• Tabassum, F., Motoki, K., Sunaga, T., Park, J., & Velasco, C. Expected flavour congruence in plant-based and conventional foods. Food Quality and Preference.

• Juravle, G., Diaconașu, D. E., Andrei, A.-M., Carvalho, F. R., D’Alfonso, S., Goglio, V., Motoki, K., Schmid, S., Ucuk, C., Van Doo, G., Carvalho, F., & Spence, C. A multi-country citizen-science study on what makes us enjoy a cup of coffee. npj Science of Food.

• Qin, Y., Nishii, M., & Motoki, K. From welfare to well-groomed: How income conditions influence moral perception of beauty consumption. Journal of Business Ethics.

• Velasco, C., Motoki, K., Peti, O., Andersen, A. N., Alaei, M., & Gustafsson, A. The rise of human–computer integration in marketing: A theory synthesis. Psychology & Marketing.  

• Motoki, K., Iseki, S., & Pathak, A. Sounds sweet: Sound reduplication in brand names enhances sweet taste expectations. Psychology & Marketing.  

Upcoming talks & events

• 24th International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA), 25–27 June 2026, Barcelona, Spain (Presented by Jaewoo Park)

• Dr Franck Celhay will visit our research group at Keio University, 26 June 2026

• 12th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, 8–11 September 2026, Oslo, Norway (Presented by Reiko Kuroda)

• 12th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, 8–11 September 2026, (presented by Francisco Barbosa Escobar)

Education

• Sep 2018  Ph.D. (Medicine), Department of Human Brain Science, School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Japan

• Mar 2015  Visiting student, Department of Psychology, University of York, UK  (Mar 2015–Sep 2015) 

• Mar 2015  M.S., Department of Human Brain Science, School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Japan

• Mar 2013  M.A., Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University, Japan

Academic positions

• Apr 2026–present  Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University

• Apr 2022–Mar 2026  Assistant Professor, Department of Management, The University of Tokyo

• 2019.4.–2022.3.  Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Business, Miyagi University

• Apr 2019–Mar 2022  JSPS Research Fellow (PD)

• Sep 2018–Mar 2019  JSPS Research Fellow (DC2)

• Apr 2016–Sep 2018  Research Fellow for Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education

Research interests

My research focuses on consumer psychology and sensory and consumer science, with a particular emphasis on multisensory experiences and food consumption. In recent work, my research interests have expanded to include health, sustainability, ethics, and digital technologies.

Keywords

Food consumption, Healthy eating, Sensory marketing, Alternative proteins, Crossmodal correspondences, Taste, Brand names, Brand personality, Emotions, Consumer neuroscience, Generative AI, Service robots, DEI, and HCI.

Selected papers

• Motoki, K., Low, J., & Velasco, C. (2025). Generative AI framework for sensory and consumer research. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., Iseki, S., & Pathak, A. (2025). Sounds cute: Exploring the role of sound reduplication in brand names. International Journal of Research in Marketing.

• Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2024). Colour/shape-taste correspondences across three languages in ChatGPT. Cognition.

• Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2023). When visual cues influence taste/flavour perception: A systematic review. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., Nakahara, K., & Velasco, C. (2023). Tasting brands: Associations between brand personality and tastes. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., & Takano, Y. (2023). Imagine distant-future outcome: Mental simulation of COVID-19 vaccinations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

• Motoki, K., Park, J., Pathak, A., & Spence, C. (2022). The connotative meanings of sound symbolism in brand names: A conceptual framework. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., & Pathak, A. (2022). Articulatory global branding: Generalizability, modulators, and mechanisms of the in-out effect in non-WEIRD consumers. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., Park, J., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2022). Contextual acceptance of novel and unfamiliar foods: Insects, cultured meat, plant-based meat alternatives, and 3D printed foods. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., Suzuki, S., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2020). A combination of self-reported data and social-related neural measures forecasts viral marketing success on social media. Journal of Interactive Marketing.

Published papers

2026/in press

• Juravle, G., Diaconașu, D. E., Andrei, A.-M., Carvalho, F. R., D’Alfonso, S., Goglio, V., Motoki, K., Schmid, S., Ucuk, C., Van Doo, G., Carvalho, F., & Spence, C. (in press). A multi-country citizen-science study on what makes us enjoy a cup of coffee. npj Science of Food.

• Qin, Y., Nishii, M., & Motoki, K. (in press). From welfare to well-groomed: How income conditions influence moral perception of beauty consumption. Journal of Business Ethics.

• Velasco, C., Motoki, K., Peti, O., Andersen, A. N., Alaei, M., & Gustafsson, A. (in press). The rise of human–computer integration in marketing: A theory synthesis. Psychology & Marketing.  

• Motoki, K., Iseki, S., & Pathak, A. (in press). Sounds sweet: Sound reduplication in brand names enhances sweet taste expectations. Psychology & Marketing.  

• Motoki, K., Ishii, H., Sugitani, Y., Togawa, T., & Park, J. (2026). Gut health claims: How interoceptive-focused messages promote healthy food choice. Food Quality and Preference.

• Qin, Y., Velasco, C., & Motoki, K. (2026). Consumer responses to gustatory augmentation in low-sodium foods. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., Ishikawa, S., & Velasco, C. (2026). Appealing or disgusting? How the visual appearance of cultured meat shapes consumer preference. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Kanai, R., Yamaguchi, K., Motoki, K., Moritoyo, R., Yoshimi, K., Nakagawa, K., & Tohara, H. (2026). Crossmodal correspondences between vision and taste and their potential role in food choices in community-dwelling older adults. Food Quality and Preference.

2025

• Motoki, K., Park, J., & Ishikawa, S. (2025). Feminine plants, masculine insects: Branding alternative proteins with gendered cues. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., Matsushita, K., Saito, K., & Nakahara, T. (2025). Consumer responses to robot servers remotely controlled by employees with disabilities. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research.

• Velasco, C., Petit, O., Motoki, K., Youssef, J., & Spence, C. (2025). Future dining experience journeys: Opportunities and uncertainties for NFTs and the Metaverse. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.

• Motoki, K., Kuroda, R., Sugai, E., Miura, A., Ichimasa, Y., & Yagi, Y. (2025). Seasonal changes influence preferences for the sensory profiles of ice cream. Food Quality and Preference. 

• 岡部 沙麗・元木 康介. (2025). 性的マイノリティのプロトタイプ研究：インフルエンサーマーケティングへの応用. 消費者行動研究. 

• Motoki, K., Low, J., & Velasco, C. (2025). Generative AI framework for sensory and consumer research. Food Quality and Preference.

• Sugitani, Y., Togawa, T., & Motoki, K. (2025). Socially excluded employees prefer algorithmic evaluation to human assessment: The moderating role of an interdependent culture. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans. 

• Wang, Q., & Motoki, K. (2025). Craving health: How dietary restraint shapes preferences for food carrying health claims. Journal of Foodservice Business Research.

• Motoki, K,. Park, J., & Togawa, T. (2025). The role of sensory cues in promoting healthy eating: A narrative synthesis and gastronomic implications. Gastronomy. 

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. (2025). Sonic frequencies and food perception: How high- and low-frequency sonic logos shape expectations of satiability and goal alignment. Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

• Motoki, K., Iseki, S., & Pathak, A. (2025). Sounds cute: Exploring the role of sound reduplication in brand names. International Journal of Research in Marketing.

• Motoki, K. & Qin, Y. (2025). Cognitive regulation of alternative proteins: Positive reappraisal enhances wanting for insects, plant-based meat analogies, cultured meat, and algae. Appetite.

• Tonookaa, K., Sato, R., Motoki, K., & Ishikawa, S. (2025). How does viewing food products in 2D or 3D affect consumer evaluations?  Food Quality and Preference.

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. (2025). Cheers to sustainability! The effect of warmth focus on the acceptance of sustainable paper-bottled alcoholic beverages. Food Quality and Preference.

2024

• Doell, K., Todorova, B., ...Motoki, K.,...& Van Bavel, J. (2024). The International Climate Psychology Collaboration: Climate change-related data collected from 63 countries. Scientific Data. 

• Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2024). Colour/shape-taste correspondences across three languages in ChatGPT. Cognition.

• Rodrigueza, B., Reinoso-Carvalhoa, F., Motoki, K., & Velasco, C. (2024). Post-conflict marketing: The role of former conflict stakeholder on post-conflict product/service valuation across countries. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administracion.

• Motoki, K., & Iseki, S. (2024). Diversity in gender and age, but not in race, enhances food purchase intentions in Japan. Food Quality and Preference.

• Ye, Y., & Motoki, K. (2024). Effects of emotions on the helpfulness of online reviews of healthy and unhealthy food in Japan and the United States. Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

• Feng, H., & Motoki, K. (2024). “Feminine = Healthy Food” stereotype: Impact of feminine brand personality on consumer attitudes toward healthier food brands. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., & Saito, T. (2024). Thinking fast, not slow: Intuitive nutrition labels increase healthier food choices under time pressure. British Food Journal.

• Saito, T., Nouchi, T., Ishibashi, R., Motoki, K., Matsuzaki, Y., Kobayashi, A., Sugiura, M., & Kawashima, R. (2024). Perceiving humanness across ages: Neural correlates and behavioral patterns. Frontiers in Psychology.

• Motoki, K., Bunya, A., Park, J., & Velasco, C. (2024). Decoding the meaning of alternative proteins: Connotations and music-matching. Food Quality and Preference.

• 岡部 沙麗・元木 康介. (2024). 性的マイノリティに関する消費者行動研究：既存研究の整理と今後の研究展望. 消費者行動研究. 

• Saito, T., Hugenberg, K., Motoki, K., & Nouchi, R. (2024). Ageism hinders mental attribution to older adults: Translation and validation of the Japanese version of the mind attribution scale. Japanese Psychological Research.

• Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K., ...Motoki, K.,...& Van Bavel, J (2024). Addressing Climate Change with Behavioral Science: A Global Intervention Tournament in 63 Countries. Science Advances.

• Motoki, K., Markes, LE., & Velasco, C. (2024). Reflections on crossmodal correspondences: Current understanding and standing issues. Multisensory Research.

2023

• Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2023). When visual cues influence taste/flavour perception: A systematic review. Food Quality and Preference.

• Velasco, C., Corradi, G., & Motoki, K. (2023). Harmony of senses: Exploring the impact of sound aesthetic features' on taste imagery. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. (2023). Negative halo effects of green packaging. Psychology & Marketing.

• Motoki, K., Park, J., Pathak, A., & Spence, C. (2023). Creating luxury brand names in the hospitality and tourism sector: The role of sound symbolism in destination branding. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management. 

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. (2023). Influencing brand personality with sonic logos: The role of musical timbre. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., & Pathak, A. (2023). The length of brand names influences the expectation of healthiness in foods and preference for healthy foods. Psychology & Marketing.

• Ichimura, F., Motoki, K., Matsushita, K., & Ariga, A. (2023). The tactile thickness of the lip and weight of a glass can modulate sensory perception of tea beverage. Food and Humanity.

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. (2023). Sonic branding of meat- and plant-based foods: The role of timbre. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., & Saito, T. (2023). Global judgments of caloric information in younger and older adults. Visual Cognition.

• Hamamoto, Y., Suzuki, S., Motoki, K., Oba, K., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2023). Neural mechanisms of perceptual and affective body-image disturbance during own-body and ideal-body estimation. Behavioural Brain Research.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., & Takano, Y. (2023). Imagine distant-future outcome: Mental simulation of COVID-19 vaccinations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

• Saito, T., Motoki, K., Nouchi, R., & Sugiura, M. (2023). Facilitating animacy perception by manipulating stimuli exposure time. Frontiers in Psychology.

• Motoki, K., Nakahara, K., & Velasco, C. (2023). Tasting brands: Associations between brand personality and tastes. Journal of Business Research.

• 朴 宰佑・外川 拓・元木 康介. (2023). センサリーナッジ：感覚要因が健康的な食行動に及ぼす影響の文献レビュー. マーケティングジャーナル.

• Saito, T., Motoki, K., & Takano, Y. (2023). Cultural differences in recognizing emotions of masked faces. Emotion. 

2022

• Motoki, K., & Togawa, T. (2022). Multiple senses influencing healthy food preference. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.

• Motoki, K., & Iseki, S. (2022). Evaluating replicability of ten influential research on sensory marketing. Frontiers in Communication.

• Motoki, K., Yamada, A., & Spence, C. (2022). Color-nutrient associations: Implications for product design of dietary supplements. Journal of Sensory Studies.

• Spence, C., Motoki, K., & Petit, O. (2022). Factors influencing the visual deliciousness / eye-appeal of food. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., Park, J., Pathak, A., & Spence, C. (2022). The connotative meanings of sound symbolism in brand names: A conceptual framework. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., & Pathak, A. (2022). Articulatory global branding: Generalizability, modulators, and mechanisms of the in-out effect in non-WEIRD consumers. Journal of Business Research.

• Motoki, K., Pathak, A., & Spence, C. (2022). Tasting prosody: Crossmodal correspondences between voice quality and basic tastes. Food Quality and Preference.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., & Velasco, C. (2022). Spontaneous crossmodal correspondences grounded in contexts. Food Quality and Preference.

• Park, J., Motoki, K., Velasco, C., & Spence, C. (2022). Celebrity insects: Exploring the effect of celebrity endorsement on people’s willingness to eat insect-based foods. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Pathak, A., & Motoki, K. (2022). Evaluating brand names without vowels. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Nozawa, C., Togawa, T., Velasco, C., & Motoki, K. (2022). Consumer responses to the use of artificial intelligence in luxury and non-luxury restaurants. Food Quality and Preference.

• Pathak, A., Motoki, K., Techawachirakul, M., & Calvert, G. (2022). Spiky sounds sparkling: How voiceless consonants present in the brand name of a beverage are more appropriate in conveying its carbonation strength. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Pathak, A., Calvert, G., Motoki, K., & Park, J. (2022). How early acquired phonemes present in words (or brand names) can evoke the expectations of sweet tastes. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Motoki, K., Takahashi, N., Velasco, C., & Spence, C. (2022). Is classical music sweeter than jazz? Crossmodal influences of background music and taste/flavour on healthy and indulgent food preferences. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Motoki, K., Park, J., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2022). Contextual acceptance of novel and unfamiliar foods: Insects, cultured meat, plant-based meat alternatives, and 3D printed foods. Food Quality and Preference.

• Plata, A., Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2022). Trends in alcohol consumption in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-country analysis. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.

2021

• Velasco, C., Obrist, M., Huisman, G., Nijholt, A., Spence, C., Motoki, K., & Narumi, T. (2021). Editorial: Perspectives on multisensory human-food interaction. Frontiers in Computer Science. 

• 元木 康介, 米満 文哉, 有賀 敦紀. (2021). 消費者行動研究における再現性問題と研究実践. 消費者行動研究.

• Iseki, S., Motoki, K., Sakata, R., & Kitagami, S. (2021). How semantically labeled scent-gender associations influence the evaluation of scent and texture. Frontiers in Psychology.

• Uchida, M., Pathak, A., & Motoki, K. (2021). Smelling speech sounds: Association of odors with texture-related ideophones. Journal of Sensory Studies.

• Velasco, C., Sunaga, T., Narumi, T., Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Petit, O. (2021). Multisensory consumer-computer interaction. Journal of Business Research. 

• Motoki, K., Takahashi, A., & Spence, C. (2021). Tasting atmospherics: Taste associations with colour parameters of coffee shop interiors. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., & Takano, Y. (2021). Scientific literacy linked to attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations: A pre-registered study. Frontiers in Communication.

• Barbosa, F., Velasco, C., Motoki, K., Byrne, D., & Wang, QJ.  (2021). The temperature of emotions. Plos One. 

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., & Onuma, T. (2021). Eye-tracking research on sensory and consumer science: A review, pitfalls and future directions. Food Research International.

• Matsuura, S., Suzuki, S., Motoki, K., Yamazaki, S., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2021). Ventral-dorsal sub-regions in the posterior cingulate cortex represent pay and interest, two key attributes of job value. Cerebral Cortex Communications.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Suzuki, S., & Sugiura, M. (2021). Evaluation of energy density and macronutrients after extremely brief time exposure. Appetite.

• Pathak, A., Calvert, G., & Motoki, K. (2021). Sound symbolism overrides articulation dynamics in the taste continuum. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Motoki, K., Park, J., Pathak, A., & Spence, C. (2021). Constructing healthy food names: On the sound symbolism of healthy food. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Park, J., Motoki, K., Pathak, A., & Spence, C. (2021). A sound brand name: The role of voiced consonants in pharmaceutical branding. Food Quality and Preference. 

• 元木 康介, 石川 伸一, 朴 宰佑. (2021). 昆虫食受容に関する心理学的研究の動向と展望. 心理学研究. 

• Motoki, K., & Velasco, C. (2021). Taste-shape correspondences in context. Food Quality and Preference. 

2020

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., & Sugiura, M. (2020). Cross-modal correspondences between temperature and taste attributes. Frontiers in Psychology. 

• Pathak, A., Calvert, G., & Motoki, K. (2020). Long vowel sounds induce expectations of sweet tastes. Food Quality and Preference.

• Hamamoto, Y., Motoki, K., & Sugiura, M. (2020). Assessing the relationship between drive for thinness and taste-shape correspondences. Multisensory Research.

• Motoki, K., Suzuki, S., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2020). A combination of self-reported data and social-related neural measures forecasts viral marketing success on social media. Journal of Interactive Marketing.

• Motoki, K., & Suzuki, S. (2020). Extrinsic factors underlying food valuation in the human brain. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

• Betancur, M., Motoki, K., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2020). Factors influencing the choice of beer: A review. Food Research International.

• Motoki, K., Ishikawa, S., Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2020). Contextual acceptance of insect-based foods. Food Quality and Preference.

• Takeuchi, H., Maruyama, T., Taki, Y., Motoki, K., Jeong, H et al. (2020). Effects of training of shadowing and reading aloud of second language on working memory and neural systems. Brain Imaging and Behavior.

• Takeuchi, H., Magistro, D., Kotozaki, Y., Motoki, K., Kashkouli Nejad, K et al. (2020). Effects of simultaneously performed dual-task training with aerobic exercise and working memory training on cognitive functions and neural systems in the elderly. Neural Plasticity

• Motoki, K., Saito, T,. Park, J., Velasco, C., Spence, C., & Sugiura, M. (2020). Tasting names: Systematic investigations of taste-speech sounds associations. Food Quality and Preference.

• Saito, T., Motoki, K., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2020). Loneliness modulates automatic attention to warm and competent faces: Preliminary evidence from an eye-tracking study. Frontiers in Psychology.

2019

• Motoki, K., Sugiura, M., & Kawashima, R. (2019). Common neural value representations of hedonic and utilitarian products in the ventral striatum: An fMRI study. Scientific Reports.

• Saito, T., Motoki, K., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2019). Does incidental pride increase competency evaluation of others who appear careless? Discrete positive emotions and impression formation. Plos One.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2019). A sweet voice: The influence of crossmodal correspondences between taste and vocal pitch on advertising effectiveness. Mutisensory Research. 

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2019). Round faces are associated with sweet foods: The role of crossmodal correspondence in social perception. Foods. 

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2019). Anxiety increases visual attention to hedonic foods: A preliminary eye-tracking study on the impact of the interplay of integral and incidental affect on foods. Appetite.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2019). Light colors and comfortable warmth: Crossmodal correspondences between thermal sensations and color lightness influence consumer behavior. Food Quality and Preference.

2018

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2018). The paradox of warmth: Ambient warm temperature decreases preference for savory foods. Food Quality and Preference. 

• Motoki, K., & Sugiura, M. (2018). Disgust, sadness, and appraisal: Disgusted consumers dislike food more than sad ones. Frontiers in Psychology.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2018). Tastiness but not healthfulness captures automatic visual attention: Preliminary evidence from an eye-tracking study. Food Quality and Preference. 

• 元木 康介, 杉浦 元亮. (2018). 消費者神経科学の動向と展望―神経科学を消費者行動研究に役立てるために. マーケティングジャーナル.

• Maruyama, T., Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Motoki, K., Jeong, H et al. (2018). Effects of time-compressed speech training on multiple functional and structural neural mechanisms involving the left superior temporal gyrus. Neural Plasticity. 

2016-2017

• Motoki, K., & Sugiura, M. (2017). Consumer Behavior, Hormones, and Neuroscience: Integrated Understanding of Fundamental Motives Why We Buy. Psychologia.

• Motoki, K., Sugiura, M., Takeuchi H., Kotozaki Y., Nakagawa S., Yokoyama R., & Kawashima R. (2016). Are plasma oxytocin and vasopressin levels reflective of amygdala activation during the processing of negative emotions? A preliminary study. Frontiers in Psychology. 

Submitted

• Motoki, K, & Togawa, T. Aesthetic brand logo. Under the 2nd round of review at European Journal of Marketing. 

• Tabassum, F., Motoki, K., Sunaga, T., Park, J., & Velasco, C. On the congruence of plant-based alternatives and flavours. Revision requested for the 2nd round of review at Food Quality and Preference.

• Okabe, S., Saito, T., & Motoki, K. Prototype of the ostracized in consumption contexts. Revision requested for the 2nd round of review at Journal Consumer Behaviour. 

• Juravle, G., Diaconașu, D. E., Andrei, A.-M., Reinoso Carvalho, F., D’Alfonso, S., Goglio, V., Motoki, K., Schmidt, S., Ucuk, C., Van Doorn, G., Carvalho, F., & Spence, C. Coffee enjoyment: A multi-country citizen science approach. Revision requested for the 2nd round of review at npj Science of Food.

• Qin, Y., Nishii, M., & Motoki, K. Cosmetic surgery and dark triad perception. Under review at Journal of Consumer Marketing.

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. Sound symbolism for drug names. Under review at Marketing Letters. 

• Iseki, S., & Motoki, K. Costly cuteness. Under review at European Journal of Marketing.

• Okabe, S., & Motoki, K. Consumer research on intellectual and developmental disabilities. Under review at International Journal of Marketing & Distribution. 

• Sherman, D., Vandermeulen, D., ... , Motoki, K., ... , & Halperin, E. Climate change, politicization, and behavioural interventions. Under review at Nature Communications.

• Velasco, C., Spence, C., Alvarado, J. A., Di Stefano, N., & Motoki, K. Cultural signatures in crossmodal correspondences. Under review at Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Book chapters

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. (2019). A sweet voice: The influence of crossmodal correspondences between taste and vocal pitch on advertising effectiveness. In Spence, C., Carvalho, FR., Velasco, C., and Wang, QJ. (Eds.), Auditory Contributions to Food Perception and Consumer Behaviour. Brill Academic Publishers.

• Motoki, K., & Low, J. (manuscript in preparation). Consumer-Centric Sensory Research Methodologies: Tools for Understanding Multisensory Preferences. To appear in L. H. Reyes, A. Sánchez-Camargo, F. Reinoso-Carvalho, & J. C. Cruz (Eds.), The Fundamentals of Customer-Centered Design of Food Products: A Multisensory Strategy Integrating Emerging Techniques. Elsevier Academic Press.

Misc

• Velasco, C., Nijholt, A., Spence, C., Narumi, T., Motoki, K., Huisman, G., & Obrist, M. (2020). 4th International Workshop on Multisensory Approaches to Human-Food Interaction. In ICMI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 International Conference on Multimodal Interaction. 

Presentations (in English)

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., & Takano, Y. Imagine distant-future outcome: Mental simulation of COVID-19 vaccinations. American Psychological Association Convention 2025, August 7–9, 2025.

• Ariga, A., Ichimura, F., Motoki, K., & Matsushita, K. Sensation transference from haptics to taste in drinking green tea: The effects of the lip thickness and weight of the glass. The 21st International Multisensory Research Forum, July 27-30, 2023.

• Techawachirakul, M., & Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. Gender stereotypes and sonic branding: The role of musical timbre in connoting brand personality traits. European Association for Consumer Research 2023, July 6-8, 2023.

• Motoki, K., & Pathak, A. Exploring the role of the in-out effect in global branding among non-WEIRD consumers. Society for Personality and Social Psychology 2023 Annual Convention, Online, February 23-25, 2023.

• Techawachirakul, M., Pathak, A., Motoki, K., & Calvert, G. Instrumental timbre in audio logos can connote masculinity and femininity embedded in meat- and plant-based foods. 10th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, Turku, Finland, September 13-16, 2022.

• Pathak, A., Motoki, K., Techawachirakul, M., & Calvert, G. Voiceless consonants in brand names enhance the expected carbonation in beverages. Society for Consumer Psychology 2022 Annual Conference, Online, March 3-5, 2022.

• Pathak, A., Motoki, K., Techawachirakul, M., & Calvert, G. Voiceless consonants in brand names enhance the expected carbonation in beverages. 2022 AMA Winter Academic Conference, Online, February 18-20, 2022.

• Velasco, C., Motoki, K., & Spence, C. Changes in beer and RTD consumption before, during, and (expected) after COVID-19. 14th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Online, August 9-12, 2021.

• Motoki, K. Consumer evaluation of energy density, macronutrients, and the perceived healthfulness of food. International symposium on lipids and food ingredients for health promotion, Online, March 12-15, 2021.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima R., & Sugiura M.  A sweet voice: The influence of crossmodal correspondences between taste and vocal pitch on advertising effectiveness. 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Edinburgh, UK, July 29, 2019.

• Saito, T., Motoki, K., Nouchi, R., Sugiura, M., & Kawashima, R. Loneliness modulates automatic attention to warm and competent people: Preliminary evidence from an eye-tracking study. CNS Annual meeting, San Francisco, California, USA, March 26, 2019.

• Saito, T., Motoki, K., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. Incidental pride directly increases the competence evaluation of other people. The 30th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention (APS2018), San Francisco, USA, May 25, 2018.

• Motoki, K., Saito, T., Nouchi, R., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. The paradox of warmth: Ambient warm temperature decreases preferences for savory food. SenseAsia 2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 13-15, 2018.

• Matsuura, S., Suzuki, S., Motoki, K., Yamazaki, S., Kawashima, R., & Sugiura, M. A neural network centered on posterior cingulate cortex computes the value of an occupation. SBDM 2018-Eighth International Symposium on Biology of Decision Making, Paris, France, May 24-27, 2018.

• Motoki, K., Sugiura, M., & Kawashima, R. Hedonic and utilitarian values in the human brain: Explicit and implicit investigations. Society for Neuroscience 2016, San Diego, California, USA, November 12-16, 2016. 

• Terao, C., Nouchi, R., Hanawa, S., Yamamoto., Y, Sakaki., K, Motoki., K, Sugiura., M, & Kawashima, R. Neural basis of facilitations for implicit memory performance using emotional contexts. The 21st Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, June 16, 2015. 

Research co-supervision

• Sara Okabe (PhD Student, University of Tokyo)

• Yu Qin (PhD Student, University of Tokyo)

• Moeko Ryu (Master’s Student, University of Tokyo)

• Hagino Oshiro (Master’s Student, University of Tokyo)

*I am not currently accepting new graduate students, but I welcome inquiries regarding research collaborations.

Alumni (University of Tokyo)

• Yuchan Wang, Yitian Ye, Haorui Feng, Qianqian Wang, Xueting Wei, Jisu Song, Jingwen Gu, Wenhao Pan, Yohei Aoki

Alumni (Miyagi University)

• Marin Uchida, Aika Takahashi, Nozomi Takahashi, Chisato Nozawa, Kyoka Fujiwara, Ayana Bunya, Asumi Yamada, Saika Kudo

Collaborators

• Toshiki Saito (Toyo University)

• Motoaki Sugiura (Tohoku University)

• Shinsuke Suzuki (Hitotsubashi University)

• Sayo Iseki (Gakushuin University)

• Jaewoo Park (Chuo University)

• Atsunori Ariga (Chuo University)

• Koji Matsushita (Gakushuin University)

• Taku Togawa (Waseda University)

• Shinichi Ishikawa (Miyagi University)

• Takanobu Nakahara (Kansai University)

• Mayuko Nishii (Aoyama Gakuin University)

• Kohei Yamaguchi (Science Tokyo)

• Yoko Sugitani (Sophia University)

• Tsutomu Sunaga (Waseda University)

• Shohei Funatsu (University of Tokyo)

• Carlos Velasco (BI Norwegian Business School)

• Gemma Calvert (Nanyang Business School)

• Abhishek Pathak (Dundee Business School)

• Francisco Barbosa Escobar (Aarhus University)

• Monin Techawachirakul (Thammasat University)

• Julia Low (RMIT University)

• Felipe Reinoso-Carvalho (Sorbonne Université)

• Lindblom Arto (Aalto University)

• Lawrence Marks (Yale University)

• Charles Spence (University of Oxford)

Awards & Honors

• Aug 2025 Raymond S. Nickerson Best Paper Award, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied

• May 2024 2024 BSPA Publication Award for Innovation in Behavioral Policy

• Aug 2023 Food Quality and Preference Award: Contributions by a Researcher of the Future

• Oct 2021 Research Award, Japan Association for Consumer Studies

• Jan 2021 Nominated for Top Publications, Neuromarketing Science & Business Association

• Jan 2020 Nominated for Top Publications, Neuromarketing Science & Business Association

• Mar 2019 Tohoku University President’s Award

• Dec 2018 Shinyu Graduate Research Excellent Award, Tohoku University

• Mar 2013 Mita Business Review Senior Thesis Award, Keio University

Grants

• Apr 2024–Mar 2028 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

• Apr 2024–Mar 2027 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

• Apr 2024–Mar 2027 JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

• Apr 2024–Mar 2025 Egashira Hospitality Business Promotion Foundation Grant

• Apr 2021–Mar 2024 JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

• Jan 2021–Dec 2022 Danone Institute of Japan Foundation Research Grant

• Dec 2020–Mar 2025 Moonshot R&D Program for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

• Aug 2020–Sep 2021 Grant for Psychological Research Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Japanese Psychological Association

• Aug 2019–Mar 2022 JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up

• Apr 2017–Mar 2019 Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows

• Apr 2016–Sep 2018 Grant-in-Aid from Tohoku University, Division for Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education

Association Memberships

• Japanese Psychological Association 

• Japanese Society for Cognitive Psychology 

• Japan Association for Consumer Studies 

• Association for Consumer Research

Editorial board member

• Food and Humanity, Editorial Board Member (Dec 2022–present)

• Frontiers in Communication (Advertising and Marketing Communication), Editorial Board Member (Apr 2021–present)

• Food Quality and Preference, Editorial Board Member (Feb 2021–present)

• Foods, Journal Topics Board (Oct 2020–present)

• Journal of Business Research, Guest editors of special issue "Multisensory Consumer-Computer Interaction" with Carlos Velasco, Tsutomu Sunaga, Takuji Narumi, Charles Spence, & Olivia Petit

• Frontiers in Computer Science, Topic editors of special issue "Perspectives on Multisensory Human-Food Interaction" with Carlos Velasco, Marianna Obrist, Gijs Huisman, Anton Nijholt, Takuji Narumi, & Charles Spence

Ad-hoc reviewer

• Ad-hoc reviewer for journals and conferences in marketing, consumer research, psychology, and food sciences including: 

• Journal of Business Research, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Marketing Management;

• Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Emotion, Health Psychology, NeuroImage, Multisensory Research;

• Food Quality and Preference, Appetite, Food Research International, Food Control, International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, British Food Journal, Journal of Sensory Studies, Food and Humanity;

• American Marketing Association Winter Academic Conference, Academy of Marketing Science World Marketing Congress, among others.

Media coverage

• The Washington Post. Salted ants. Ground crickets. Why you should try edible insects. 27 Nov 2022

• PNAS Front Matter. How to convince people to eat insects. 4 Nov 2022

• Retail Dive. Retail would like to buy a vowel. 24 Oct 2022

• Activist Post. The Bugs That Keep Me Up at Night: Greenwashing Insects for Food. 25 Aug 2022

• Market Business News. Cross Modal Correspondences: Making the Most Out of It. 28 Mar 2022

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Research Roundup: February 2022. 23 Feb 2022

• BI Business Review. Why Angelina Jolie can make you eat more insects. 4 Jan 2022

• Classic FM. Bach makes us reach for the biscuit tin, new classical music study shows. 13 Sep 2021

• The U.S. Sun. SCHUBERT DIP From hip-hop to jazz – what your music taste says about your food preference. 12 Sep 2021

• uDiscover Music. Classical Music Makes Us Crave Chocolate Biscuits. 9 Sep 2021

• The Times. Bach and Beethoven give listeners a taste for sweet things. 9 Sep 2021

• Daily Mail. How classical music leaves us hooked on chocolate biscuits. 9 Sep 2021

• The Telegraph. All Bach and no bite: how classical music will make you forget your burger. 8 Sep 2021

• Food Navigator. Want to create a healthy food brand? It’s all in the name. 18 Feb 2021

• Ladders News. This is why your lonely coworker may be looking at your face on Zoom calls. 1 Jun 2020

• PsyPost. Eye-tracking study finds lonely individuals show more automatic attention to warm faces than to faces in general. 29 May 2020ve