title: Identification of gustatory-olfactory flavor mixtures: effects of linguistic labeling.
abstract: Two experiments, using different ranges and numbers of stimuli, examined how linguistic labels affect the identification of flavor mixtures containing different proportions of sucrose (gustatory flavorant) and citral (olfactory flavorant). Both experiments asked subjects to identify each stimulus as having either "mostly sugar" or "mostly citrus." In one condition, no labels preceded the flavor stimuli. In another condition, each flavor stimulus followed a label, either SUGAR or CITRUS, which, the subjects were informed, usually though not always named the stronger flavor component; that is, the labels were probabilistically valid. The results of both experiments showed that the labels systematically modified the identification responses: Subjects responded "sugar" or "citrus" more often when the flavor stimulus followed the corresponding label, SUGAR or CITRUS. But the labels hardly affected overall accuracy of identification. Accuracy was possibly limited, however, by both the confusability of the flavor stimuli per se and the way that confusability could limit the opportunity to discern the probabilistic associations between labels and individual flavor stimuli. We describe the results in terms of a decision-theoretic model, in which labels induce shifts in response criteria governing the identification responses, or possibly effect changes in the sensory representations of the flavorants themselves.
authors: The John B. Pierce Laboratory, 290 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06519, USA.
authors: Jennifer M
authors: JM
authors: Brewer
authors: Adam Y
authors: AY
authors: Shavit
authors: Timothy G
authors: TG
authors: Shepard
authors: Maria G
authors: MG
authors: Veldhuizen
authors: Roshan
authors: R
authors: Parikh
authors: Lawrence E
authors: LE
authors: Marks
mesh_terms: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005421:Flavoring Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D005515:Food Labeling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000378:metabolism; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism; D013649:Taste; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D005421:Flavoring Agents; D039821:Monoterpenes; D013395:Sucrose; C007076:citral