Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Protection for the good: subcategorization reduces hedonic contrast.

Debra A Zellner1, Brett B Kern, Scott Parker

  • 1Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043, USA. zellnerd@mail.montclair.edu

Appetite
|June 20, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Hedonic contrast, the tendency to rate stimuli lower after experiencing very good contexts, is influenced by how people categorize items. When items are seen as distinct, contrast is reduced, especially for gourmet coffees and specialty beers.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Anti-VEGF vascular remodeling drives germinal center B cell-rich tertiary lymphoid structures during antibody-toxin and anti-CD40 combination therapy in glioblastoma.

Research square·2026
Same author

Unlocking uterine biology at home: a validated system for DNA, RNA, and microbial analysis from menstrual effluence.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2025
Same author

Multi-omic profiling in breast cancer: utility for advancing diagnostics and clinical care.

Expert review of molecular diagnostics·2025
Same author

A program for real-time surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 genetics.

Scientific reports·2024
Same author

SARS-CoV-2 variant introduction following spring break travel and transmission mitigation strategies.

PloS one·2024
Same author

Targeted inhibition of protein synthesis renders cancer cells vulnerable to apoptosis by unfolded protein response.

Cell death & disease·2023

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Sensory Science
  • Consumer Behavior

Background:

  • Hedonic contrast describes the phenomenon where stimuli are perceived as less positive when evaluated against superior contexts.
  • Previous research indicates that context significantly influences subjective evaluations of stimuli.
  • The role of categorization in modulating hedonic contrast remains an area for further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of stimulus categorization on the magnitude of hedonic contrast.
  • To determine if distinct or common categorization of items affects the perception of hedonic contrast.
  • To explore how subjective categorization applies to everyday products like coffee and beer.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies were conducted involving participant surveys on product liking.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Study 1 assessed liking of gourmet and ordinary coffees.
  • Study 2 assessed liking of specialty and regular beers, with a focus on participants' categorization of these products.

    • Main Results:

    • Hedonic contrast was significantly smaller when participants categorized coffees into distinct groups compared to a common category.
    • A similar pattern emerged in the beer study, where subcategorization led to reduced hedonic contrast.
    • The greatest hedonic contrast was observed when stimuli were perceived as belonging to a single, common category.

    Conclusions:

    • Stimulus categorization plays a crucial role in modulating hedonic contrast.
    • Creating distinct mental categories for similar items can mitigate the effects of hedonic contrast.
    • Understanding categorization is key to predicting and managing subjective evaluations in consumer contexts.