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- Title
Taste Enhancement of Alcohol under 'Masking' Conditions, and Some Limits to Stevens' Power Law.
- Authors
Standing, Lionel G.; McKelvie, Stuart J.; Décarie, Maryline J.; Bazar, Jennifer L.; Clarke, Kenneth A.
- Abstract
This study examined whether the perceived strength of alcohol solutions is masked by the presence of additional tastants. In Experiment 1, forty subjects made direct magnitude estimates of the concentration of vodka when mixed with water, sweetened water, cranberry juice, or sweetened cranberry, in proportions ranging from 0% to 90% in steps of 10%. Contrary to prediction, the two additional flavors (cranberry and sugar) produced additive enhancement of the alcohol taste, rather than masking it. In Experiment 2, using vodka/water, vodka/orange and orange/water mixtures, in a between-subjects design with randomized concentrations, the enhancement effect was again found (N = 42). Mean judgments of alcohol concentration in the two studies were the most accurate when the additional flavours were present, falling respectively only 1.1% and 1.5% below perfect accuracy. The data in both studies are more parsimoniously described by linear functions, with a slope of 0.75 and rs between .96 and .99, than by Stevens' power law, for which the exponents here are in the range 0.8-1.1.
- Subjects
ALCOHOL; SOLUTIONS (Pharmacy); BERRY industry; CRANBERRIES; VODKA; CONCENTRATED fruit juices; FRUIT juices
- Publication
North American Journal of Psychology, 2008, Vol 10, Issue 1, p109
- ISSN
1527-7143
- Publication type
Article