LIMITING RESPONSE ALTERNATIVES IN TIME-INTENSITY SCALING - AN EXAMINATION OF THE HALO-DUMPING EFFECT

Time-related measurements pose some challenges to psychophysics and to applied sensory testing methods including control of psychological bi ases which have been found in single-point scaling. This research exam ined enhancement of ratings when response alternatives were limited in time-intensity scaling tasks using repeated category ratings. Panelis ts rated a pseudo-beverage containing sweetener and flavor and one wit h sweetener only over a 90-s period. The aromatic flavor caused an inc rease in sweetness intensity and especially so when the panelists were limited to sweetness responses only. The odor-induced enhancement of sweetness was smaller when panelists were given both flavor and sweetn ess response options than when the panelists were given only a sweetne ss scale. Prior use of both scales in a previous experimental session did not lessen the halo-dumping enhancement effect. In one study, swee tness ratings of sucrose alone were depressed when the additional scal e for flavor was provided, perhaps due to inappropriate partitioning o f responses.