Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026

Psychophysical Tracking Method to Measure Taste Preferences in Children and Adults
Published on: July 16, 2016
Comparing sensory experiences across individuals: recent psychophysical advances illuminate genetic variation in
1Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8041, USA. linda.bartoshuk@yale.edu
Abstract:
Modern psychophysics has traveled considerably beyond the threshold measures that dominated sensory studies in the first half of this century. Current methods capture the range of perceived intensity from threshold to maximum and promise to provide increasingly accurate comparisons of perceived intensities across individuals. The application of new psychophysical tools to genetic variation in taste allowed us to discover supertasters, individuals who live in particularly intense taste worlds. Because of the anatomy of the taste system, supertasters feel more burn from oral irritants like chili peppers, more creaminess/ viscosity from fats and thickeners in food and may also experience more intense oral pain. Not surprisingly, these sensory differences influence food choices and thus health. A discussion of the milestones on the road to understanding genetic variation in taste must include discussion of some potholes as well. Often our failures have been as instructive as our successes in the effort to evaluate the impact of genetic variation in taste.
Related Concept Videos
Gustation
The Physiology of Taste
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Tactile and Chemical Senses
Synesthesia

