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Updated: May 21, 2026
09:17
Psychophysical Tracking Method to Measure Taste Preferences in Children and Adults
Published on: July 16, 2016
Human sensory preconditioning in a flavor preference paradigm
Gregory J Privitera1, Colleen P Mulcahey, Cassandra M Orlowski
1Department of Psychology, Saint Bonaventure University, 3261 West State Street, St. Bonaventure, NY 14778, USA. gprivite@sbu.edu
Appetite
|June 23, 2012
Summary
Sensory preconditioning (SPC) enhances flavor liking. Associating a neutral flavor with a conditioned flavor before training increased liking for both, demonstrating a novel form of flavor learning in humans.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Food Science
Background:
- Sensory preconditioning (SPC) is a learning phenomenon where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus.
- Previous research on SPC has primarily focused on auditory or visual stimuli, with limited investigation in human gustatory systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt a sensory preconditioning (SPC) procedure for human participants.
- To investigate whether conditioning to one flavor enhances the liking of a second flavor associated with it prior to training.
Main Methods:
- Human participants (N=120) were divided into three groups: SPC+Conditioning, Conditioning Only, and SPC Only.
- Participants consumed and rated plain or sweetened cherry and grape flavors across four phases: baseline, SPC, training, and test.
- Flavor liking and sweetness ratings were recorded throughout the experiment.
Main Results:
- The SPC+Conditioning group showed increased liking and perceived sweetness for both the conditioned flavor and the associated SPC flavor.
- The Conditioning Only group demonstrated increased liking and perceived sweetness only for the conditioned flavor.
- The SPC Only group exhibited no significant changes in flavor ratings from baseline to test.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of sensory preconditioning (SPC) learning in a human flavor preference paradigm.
- Flavor-flavor associative learning can be established through preconditioning, influencing subsequent flavor preferences.
- The findings suggest that prior associations significantly impact human flavor perception and liking.
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