Basic psychological processes in food tasting situationsanalysis in novice tasters

Abstract

This dissertation aims to improve the understanding of the psychological processes involved in organoleptic evaluation, providing a new characterization of the tasting situation that allows for a comprehensive analysis of the sensory and decisions dynamics that take place when complex gustatory stimuli are tasted. To explore this issue, a tasting task with basic flavors was designed to be carried out with novice tasters within the laboratory setting, but adopting an ecological validity approach. Different factors that would affect sensory and decision processes were manipulated using a dissociative model based on Signal Detection Theory: the Double Dissociation Additive Test, to separate effects on sensitivity and decision performance. Non-parametric measures of sensitivity A’ and bias B’D, and robust analysis of variance were used for separating both processes. In agreement with the dissociative proposal, selective influences on sensitivity and response bias were found providing support for the independence assumption and the methodological approach.