8.5.2 Psychological Factors + 8.5.3 Social Factors

Question 1

Psychological Factors that influence TASTE PERCEPTION

Answer 1

Memory, Food Packaging & Appearance, Emotional State

Question 2

Memory

Answer 2

-> Memory influences our expectations, mood, beliefs on the food
-> Positive memory of food = positive expectations of food = food might taste better
-> Bad memory of food: getting sick after eating food -> food might disgust us just by thinking of it

Question 3

Food Packaging & Appearance,

Answer 3

-> Colour of food
E.g: Orange juice taste better when its orange, pink soft drink sweeter than yellow, food presenting on white plate sweeter than black plate

-> Shape of food
E.g: Fries taste better when thin, square donuts taste different

-> Food appearance to see whether food is safe to consume
E.g: Colour of ripe fruits, foods that seem unsafe are expected to taste bitter, sour

-> Packaging, labelling and branding of food
E.g: Coke taste better with the branded bottle, wine taste better if it costs more

-> Food neatness and arrangement
E.g: Food in neat arrangement is like more, more willing to pay for it, near arrangement = higher quality

-> Food sounds
E.g: Chips that sound crispy, taste better

Question 4

Emotional State:

Answer 4

foods might taste better when it gives a sense of nostalgia

Question 5

Social Factors

Answer 5

Every culture has different cooking style

E.g: Asian diets has more sour, umami and bitter tastes

-> We generally prefer the tastes we grew up with

-> Influence of family members encouraging to taste foods, influences from what we see friends, movies eating