A LABELED AFFECTIVE MAGNITUDE (LAM) SCALE FOR ASSESSING FOOD LIKING/DISLIKING¹

Abstract

The most widely used scale for assessing food liking or disliking is the 9‐pt hedonic scale. Unfortunately, this affective scale suffers from problems related to unequal scale intervals and the underuse of end categories, which results in a reduced ability to differentiate among extremely well liked or extremely disliked foods. Magnitude estimation avoids these problems while enabling ratio statements to be made about the data. However, it does not provide absolute ratings of liking/disliking and can be difficult for some consumers to use. We report here on the development of a labeled affective magnitude scale (LAM) scale that has advantages over both the 9‐pt hedonic scale and magnitude estimation. Forty‐four semantic labels were scaled for their affective meaning by subjects using modulus‐free magnitude estimation. The geometric mean magnitude estimates obtained for each semantic label were used to construct a series of labeled affective magnitude scales by spacing the labels along a visual analogue scale according to their obtained semantic values. Reliability and sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the effects of alternative semantic and numeric labels. The results of these studies led to the choice of a scale format that uses verbal labels that are consistent with the 9‐pt hedonic scale. The labeled affective magnitude (LAM) scale was compared to the hedonic scale and magnitude estimation in several food preference and acceptability tests. The LAM was shown to have equal reliability and sensitivity to the hedonic scale, provided somewhat greater discrimination among highly liked foods, and resulted in data that were similar to magnitude estimation in terms of the obtained ratios among rated stimuli. The LAM scale was also judged by consumers to be as easy to use as the 9‐pt hedonic scale and significantly less difficult than magnitude estimation.

Development and Application of New Psychophysical Methods for the Characterization of the Handfeel and Comfort Properties of Military Clothing Fabrics

“…The experiments reported here have also detailed the development of an alternative scale for the assessment of comfort; one that is modeled after the category ratio scale of Borg [45] and the labeled magnitude scales of Green, et al [46] and Schutz and Cardello [47]. While the latter scales were developed for the purpose of scaling perceived exertion, oral sensation intensity, and liking/disliking, the present CALM (Comfort Affective Labeled Magnitude) scale was developed specifically for the purpose of scaling perceived comfort/discomfort.…”

“…5). However, since previous research has shown that the numerical labels placed along labeled affective magnitude scales do not affect ratings 27 (subjects attend to the verbal labels and extrapolate between them) [46,47], the scale points were rescaled to range from 0 ("greatest imaginable discomfort") to +100 ("greatest imaginable comfort") so that subjects would not be unduly influenced to assign negative numerical ratings to negatively valenced scenarios and positive numerical ratings to positively valenced scenarios, independently of a considered evaluation of the comfort/discomfort levels evoked by the scenarios and the semantic implications of the verbal scale labels.…”

“…The adjectives "greatest imaginable" and "greatest possible" were included to define scale values commensurate to a common fixed end-point of positive and negative affective experience, as utilized in previously developed labeled magnitude scales [45,46,47]. These adjectives were used to create forty-one word phrases, which in combination with two non-polar terms ("neutral" and "neither comfortable nor uncomfortable"), resulted in a total of 43 phrases to be used in scale development.…”

“…The first such scale of this type was the "Borg" scale of perceived exertion [45]. However, similar labeled magnitude scales have been developed for both sensory [46] and affective [47] The ability to reliably describe the sensory handfeel properties of clothing fabrics is essential to understanding the contribution of fabric characteristics to clothing comfort. In order to acquire these data on a continuing basis, the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NATICK) took the necessary steps to train, develop, and maintain an in-house, sensory descriptive handfeel panel.…”

“…thermal), thereby limiting their capacity to be applied to a broad range of comfort situations. The purpose of the next phase of research was to develop a sensitive, reliable, valid, and user-friendly ratio scale of comfort, using previously developed labeled magnitude scales as models [46,47]. …”