Flavour Flashcards
(19 cards)
Wang et al. (2004) neural response of starving participants with a hint of food rubbed on their lips
Very large neural response. Much energy goes into food. Brain switches off as soon as food is given.
Morrot et al. (2001) wine tasting students
White, red or red-coloured white wine. When asked to describe the odours, participants thought the fake red wine smelt more like red wine (visual dominance over smell).
Wang and Spence (2019) wine-tasting novice, intermediate, and experts.
For the fake rose wine, wine-tasters perceived floral notes that were not present in the white or rose wine (perceiving things that are not there). The brain seems to automatically integrate predictions to try and resolve the discrepancy.
Yeomans et al. (2008) on ‘strawberry ice cream’
Expectancy influences flavour evaluation. When people expect a strawberry ice cream, no one finds the food pleasant. If told that it is a ‘savoury mousse’ or ‘food 386’, it is rated pleasant.
Flavour appears stronger/saltier if unexpected.
6 ways in which vision affects the perception of food
- Intensity.
- Identity.
- Expectancy effects.
- Context effects.
- Sensory-specific satiety (coloured M&Ms).
- Appetite.
Hierarchy of sensory dominance for spatial judgements
Sight -> touch -> sound/smell.
Hierarchy of sensory dominance for temporal judgements
Sound -> touch -> sight.
Hierarchy of sensory dominance for appetitive judgements
Smell/taste -> sight -> feel/sound.
Zampini and Spence (2004) on the effects of sounds on Pringles
The perceived crispiness and liking of the crisp (identical crisps) was influenced by the sound (sound varied on freshness and crispiness).
Not a part of flavour perception, but it can affect our experience of food.
Dalton et al. (2000) superadditivity of taste and smell conclusions
Integration of cues seem to be shaped by experience (integrate the ones the occur frequently together).
Dalton et al. (2000) taste and smell superadditivity experiment
Tested sensitivity to benzaldehyde (an almond-like smell).
Increased sensitivity to benzaldehyde when presented with saccharin (a sweetener). Reduced sensitivity when paired with water or MSG.
In a study with a Japanese participant, the MSG (umami) produced increased sensitivity.
De Araujo et al. (2003) fMRI with congruent or incongruent combinations of taste or smell
OFC showed increased activity to congruent pairings compared to incongruent pairings. OFC predicted both pleasantness and congruence ratings.
Lim et al. (2014) interaction between smell and taste
People were given a citrus smell. When sucrose or citric acid was put on their tongue, the smell is tranferred to the tongue (not seen for water or salt).
People think that what they smell with their nose is actually coming from their mouth (sensory confusion).
Oral referral
Smell sensations related to food are mislocalised to the mouth,
Spence (2016) on multisensory composite signals
Separate components may add to create a different perception.
Could taste-smell confusions be a kind of universal synaesthesia?
- Auvray and Spence (2008) think that it should be an idiosyncratic mapping.
- Certain smells are described as ‘sweet’ (eg. vanilla). This is universal. Also concurrent perception - no relationship inducer and mental image involved.
Davidson et al. (1999) on minty chewing gum
When chewing gum, the mintiness is gone after 3 minutes. When a minty stick is put up the nose, the minty judgements persist even after 5 minutes.
Sensory decline in the elderly
Elderly require 3x as much salt/sugar in
foods, and up to 12x if on medication.
Maier and Elliott (2020) on rats and MLE
Rats seem to show Bayes-optimal behaviour for taste and odour integration.
