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Updated: Nov 28, 2025
Psychophysical Tracking Method to Measure Taste Preferences in Children and Adults
Published on: July 16, 2016
A Pilot Comparison of High- Versus Low-Tech Palatability Assessment Tools in Young Children
Susan M Abdel-Rahman1,2, Shasha Bai3, Patricia A Porter-Gill4
1Division of Pediatric Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Innovation, Children's Mercy Hospital, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO, 64108, USA. srahman@cmh.edu.
Insights
Pediatric medication taste is a barrier to adherence. This study found hedonic scales, particularly TASTY, are more reliable than facial recognition for assessing children's taste perception.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pharmacology
- Sensory Science
- Clinical Assessment
Background:
- Medication refusal in children is often due to unpleasant taste, impacting treatment adherence and outcomes.
- Standardized methods for evaluating taste perception in young children are lacking.
- This study investigates novel methods for assessing pediatric taste responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of facial recognition technology with established hedonic visual scales in assessing pediatric taste perception.
- To identify reliable methods for evaluating the palatability of medications in children aged 3-7 years.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized study involving 12 children (3-7 years) evaluating prednisone (bitter), simple syrup (sweet), and water (neutral).
- Facial expression and intensity were recorded using Noldus FaceReader 7 software.
- Taste perception was assessed using 5-point Sjövall and 5- and 3-point TASTY hedonic scales, alongside simple participant questions.
Main Results:
- All three hedonic scales demonstrated similar tracking for different taste profiles, with high correlations between scale variations.
- Facial recognition technology was less reliable, failing to effectively differentiate positive and negative taste responses.
- Hedonic scales showed greater reliability in assessing children's taste responses compared to facial recognition.
Conclusions:
- The TASTY scales (3- and 5-point) show significant promise for assessing medication palatability in pediatric clinical settings.
- Reliable taste assessment methods are crucial for improving medication adherence and therapeutic outcomes in children.
- Further research should focus on validating and implementing these hedonic scales in clinical practice.
Background:
Medication refusal in children is largely driven by aversive taste profiles, which in turn influence adherence and therapeutic outcomes. However, there are no standardized methods for evaluating taste in young children. This study compares facial recognition technology with three hedonic visual scales in this population.
Methods:
Children, 3-7 years of age, were enrolled with informed parental permission into an institutional review board-approved, double-blind, randomized investigation. Each child received three test articles: prednisone (bitter), simple syrup (sweet), and filtered water (neutral), with an appropriate washout. Facial recognition software (Noldus FaceReader 7) recorded facial expression and intensity for 30-60 s after administration. Participants subsequently rated taste using three hedonic scales (5-point Sjövall and 5- and 3-point TASTY) and responded to simple questions on their perception of the test article. Repeated measures analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis were used to explore associations between palatability measures.
Results:
Twelve children (seven males: ten white and two black) completed the study without adverse effects. There were no significant differences in participant characteristics by randomization sequence. The three hedonic scales tracked similarly for each test substance, with correlations between the 5-point scales (r = 0.899) comparable to those between the 3- and 5-point scales (r = 0.860-0.903). Hedonic scales appeared more reliable in assessing taste response than facial recognition, which did not effectively discriminate positive and negative responses.
Conclusions:
Our experience suggests that the TASTY scales appear to offer the greatest promise for assessing palatability in future clinical use.
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