Gustatory perception investigation - Placebo

Question 1

recall the research question

Answer 1

what is the effect of a product packaging placebo on taste perception?

Question 2

recall how age influences gustatory perception

Answer 2

• a taste bud only last approximately 10 days but they are regenerated regularly
• Early in life, this regeneration occurs quickly, with children having a larger number of functional taste buds compared to adults of any age
• over the lifespan, however, regeneration slows, so that by the time a person reaches old age, their taste buds do not regenerate fast enough to replace the ones they lose

Question 3

recall how genetics influences gustatory perception

Answer 3

• a quarter of all people are born with more than average number of taste buds, while a further quarter are born with fewer than the average number
• the number of taste buds we have changes how bitter or sweet a food taste, which accounts in part for the significant diversity in how we percieve taste

Question 4

define the influence of psychological factors that influence gustatory perception

Answer 4

• how we percieve gustatory sensations is significantly shaped by our perceptual set (i.e the combined effect of our past experience, motivation, memory and the context in which we are percieving the stimuli), which is a psychological factor
• with reference to gustatory stimuli in particular, our perceptions can be affected by our experiences of a food and the emotions we associate with it, as well as by the appearance of the product packaging and the food itself.

Question 5

recall the three psychological factors that influence gustatory perception

Answer 5

1. Past experiences
2. Emotion
3. Product packaging

Question 6

define past experience

Answer 6

our past experiences of a food stimulus shape how we percieve that or similar food stimuli in the future through top-down processing

Question 7

define emotion

Answer 7

• our emotional reaction to tastes is closely related to our past experiences with them. Likewise, strong negative emotions associated with a food can make your gustatory perception of that food negative.
• you may have noticed that your emotions can make you crave certain tastes. In the presence of this emotion, no other type of food is percieved as satisfying, comfort foods are typically in fat or sugar and eating them causes a release of dopamine - commonly known as the pleasure hormone

Question 8

define product packaging

Answer 8

• our perceptual response to the taste of food stimuli is also influenced by their packaging. This is an area of intense research, as there is a lot of money at stake for food and beverage manufacturers.
• It has been extensively supported that branding and packaging can trigger our perceptual sets and emotions, thereby influencing how we percieve a products taste.

Question 9

define food culture

Answer 9

the attitudes, behaviours, customs and values around food with which we were raised

Question 10

recall the aim of the experiment

Answer 10

to investigate the relationship of product packaging placebos/ single blinds on an individuals experience of taste perception

Question 11

what is the simple IV

Answer 11

the differing product packaging on chocolate bars

Question 12

what is the simple DV

Answer 12

the rating of chocolate enjoyment

Question 13

what type of data is being collected to measure the DV

Answer 13

primary quantitative data

Question 14

the operationalized independent variable

Answer 14

the 4 different chocolate packaging’s ‘premium’, ‘healthy’, ‘fun’, ‘hazelnut’.

Question 15

the operationalized dependent variable

Answer 15

the rating of each chocolate from 1-5, ranked most liked to least liked

Question 16

what is the target population

Answer 16

parents aged 45-55

Question 17

choose an experimental design and explain why you chose this method. Are there any potential problems that could arise due to this type of experimental design?

Answer 17

Within subjects design: an experimental design in which participants complete every experimental condition. We chose this method because all participants will be exposed to each independent variable. Order effects could arise alongside a participant dropping out of a within subjects experiment has a greater impact on the study as the experimenter loses two data points instead of one.

Question 18

explain why you did not choose a between subjects design

Answer 18

between subjects design is an experimental design in which individuals are divided into different groups and complete only one experimental design. Due to the nature of the experiment, this experimental design option is not as applicable as the design specifies for individuals to complete one of the independant variables/ experimental conditions, failing to represent the divergence of taste perception of on individual across several different product packaging. Additionally, differences between participants across groups can affect results.

Question 19

explain why you did not choose a mixed design

Answer 19

A mixed design combines elements within-subjects and between subjects design, which allows experimenters to note differences that occur within each experimental group overtime, and also compares differences across experimental groups. This is unsuitable for this experiment as it is too demanding for researchers and assistants to be across multiple methods.

Question 20

recall the research hypothesis

Answer 20

it is predicted that parents of the age of 45-55 who are shown more visually pleasing/ emotive packaging will predict and record a higher rating of enjoyment/ experience of taste compared to when given unlabeled/ packaged chocolate.

Question 21

identify the sampling technique chosen including a justification of why you chose this method. Are there any potential that could arise as a result of this sampling technique

Answer 21

convenience sampling will be employed in this experiment. Convenience sampling is a sampling technique that involves selecting readily available members of the population, rather than using a random or systematic approach. This sampling technique is being used due to the impromptu nature of the experiment and the limited quantity of people available within the sample set. This sampling technique is most likely to produce an unrepresentative sample, thereby making it harder for researchers to generalise results to the population.

Question 22

why did you not choose random sampling

Answer 22

random sampling technique that used a procedure to ensure every member of the population has the same chance of being selected. Although this technique ensures higher accuracy, it is not convenient for the small sample set available. Additionally, it may be time consuming to ensure every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample. It may not create an entirely representative sample when the sample is small.

Question 23

why did you not choose stratified sampling

Answer 23

stratified sampling involves selecting people from the population in a way that ensures that its strata are proportionately represented in the sample. This technique is unsuitable due to the small sample set of the population in this experiment. Additionally, it can be time-consuming and expensive, and can be demanding on the researcher to select the most appropriate strata to account for.

Question 24

list the details of the sample/participants you intend to investigate

Answer 24

6 participants (Hannahs parents x2, Kieras parents x2, Karmens parents x2) from ages 45-55 located in the Melbourne region, conveniently the parents of the experimenters

Question 25

list the five ethical guidelines and principles associated with the study

Answer 25

1. Integrity
2. Informed consent and procedures
3. Use of deception
4. Debriefing
5. Voluntary participants

Question 26

describe integrity

Answer 26

the commitment to searching for knowledge and understanding and the honest reporting of all sources of information and results, whether favorable or unfavorable, in ways that permit scrutiny and contribute to public knowledge and understanding. We plan to adhere to integrity by prioritizing the single blind for knowledge and understanding purposes, however disclosing the reality of the experiment in the debrief following the completion of the experiment.

Question 27

describe informed consent and procedures

Answer 27

processes that ensure participants understand the nature and purpose of the experiment, including potential risks (physical and psychological) before agreeing to participant in the study. We plan to adhere to this guideline by informing the participants of the purpose of the experiment prior to their involvement, and then, however, disclosing the reality of the variables and aim and hypothesis in the debrief

Question 28

describe used of deception

Answer 28

act of intentionally misleading participants about the true nature of a study of procedure. Only permissable when participants knowledge of the true purpose of the experiment may affect their behavior while participating in the study, and subsequent validity of the experiment. Due to the experiments strong reliance on placebos, the use of deception is required for accurate evaluation of the affect on taste perception without awareness of the materials reality; this process is justified by consolidating the validity of the experiment.

Question 29

describe debriefing

Answer 29

procedure that ensures that ensures that at the end of the experiment, the participant leaves understanding the experimental aim, results and conclusions. Must be at the end of every experiment

Question 30

participant bias definition

Answer 30

a tendency of participants (subjects) in an experiment to consciously or subconsciously act in a way that they think the experimenter or researcher wants them to act.

Question 31

describe voluntary participation

Answer 31

ensures that there is no coercion or pressure put on the participant to partake in an experiment, and they freely chose to be involved

Question 32

recall two main limitations of sources of error in your study

Answer 32

1. Order effects
2. Failure of the placebo

Question 33

describe order effects

Answer 33

order effects are the sequences in which participants receive conditions that may influence the dependant variable; these include practice, fatigue and boredom. In our experiment, such order effects may include the order in which participants percieve/recieve the control condition (either before or after eating the packaged chocolates - experimental condition). Because of this, the participants may become aware of the placebo prior to evaluating their taste perception or percieve the taste of the packaged chocolates differently after comparing them to the control group. To prevent this, we can implement counterbalancing, where half the participants do condition A, then condition B, and the other half do condition B then A.

Question 34

describe the failure of the placebo

Answer 34

the placebo effect is the belief that a participant is getting a treatment that affects the/their dependant variable. The expectation that a treatment will work rather than the treatment itself actually working. If the placebo effect fails in the experiment, the influence of the independant variable (product packaging) will be undeterminable to demonstrate a direct effect in the dependant variable (the rating of taste experience)/ taste perception. To control this we will include a single blind, where the participant doesnt know if they’re in the control group or experimental group.

Question 35

define external validility

Answer 35

refers to the extent to which research results can be generalized beyond the specific conditions or participants of the original study

Question 36

Answer 36