Does the type of receptacle influence the crossmodal association between colour and flavour? A cross-cultural comparison

Wan, Xiaoang; Velasco, Carlos; Michel, Charles; Mu, Bingbing; Woods, Andy; Spence, Charles

doi:10.1186/2044-7248-3-3

Cited by 61 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Seen within this context, the results of the present study would seem to suggest that the characteristics of the water and the cups in which the water is served should be considered for these food‐water associations to be more successful (which has been reported for different types of wine/liquors and their containers; Delwiche and Pelchat ; Wan et al . ; see also Standage , for a discussion on the importance of the container in liquid evaluation).…”

Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of A Container's Weight on the Perception of Mineral Water

Maggioni

Risso

Olivero

et al. 2015

Journal of Sensory Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the last few years, psychologists and neuroscientists have increasingly investigated the presence of multisensory interactions in people's perceptions of food and beverage. For example, the results of a recent questionnaire-based study showed that wine is believed to be more expensive and of better quality when contained in a heavier bottle. However, it remains unclear whether various foods or liquids share similar multisensory associations in the mind of the consumer. In a laboratory study, we investigated the multisensory interactions between the taste of mineral water and the weight of the plastic cup in which it is served. The participants evaluated the freshness, pleasantness, level of carbonation, and lightness of two types of mineral water (i.e., still and carbonated) using visual analogue scales. The water was served in three identical plastic cups, varying only in terms of their weight (i.e., light, medium, and heavy). The results showed that when a heavier cup was used, the participants perceived the mineral water as less pleasant. By contrast, they rated the water served in heavier cups as more carbonated than water served in lighter cups. These data demonstrate that crossmodal associations in taste perception depend on the category of the product being evaluated and the specific quality that is rated. Such findings are extremely important for understanding the role of sensory interaction in food evaluation as well as encouraging healthier eating and drinking behaviors. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSRecently, an increasing number of studies has shown that consumer's taste perception can be affected by certain features of the container in which food or beverage is served and/or experienced. The present study has important implications not only for understanding the multisensory interactions affecting beverage perception, but also for marketing and packaging design purposes. In particular, marketing strategies would certainly benefit from understanding the perception of package or container attributes that can drive consumer's perception and choice of certain beverages. Furthermore, understanding one or more aspects of a container that facilitates the perception of water as more appealing may help improve the drinking experience for people who are at risk of dehydration, with possible positive consequences for their water intake.

show abstract

Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of A Container's Weight on the Perception of Mineral Water

Maggioni

Risso

Olivero

et al. 2015

Journal of Sensory Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Taken together with the findings of two previous studies (Wan et al . , ), the findings of the present study allow us to further disentangle the cross‐cultural differences in color‐flavor associations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…That is, the blueberry flavor was strongly associated with the blue drinks by those participants from China, India, Korea, the U.K. and the U.S.A., though some of the Koreans did associate it with mint flavor (Wan et al . , ). In contrast, the participants in the present study overall, chose the mint flavor and the “other” option.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For one thing, the influence of the receptacle on people's color‐flavor associations for brown drinks was only significant for those participants who were from China and U.S.A. in Wan et al . 's () study, but not for the participants from India, South Korea, and the U.K. in Wan et al . 's () study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…For another thing, Japan shares some food styles with China (tested in Wan et al . ) and Korea (tested in Wan et al . ), such as the tradition of using chopsticks to eat rice with dish or noodles (Brittin ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Effects of Receptacle on the Expected Flavor of a Colored Beverage: Cross‐Cultural Comparison Among French, Japanese, and Norwegian Consumers

Wan

Woods²,

Jacquot

et al. 2016

Journal of Sensory Studies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present online study was designed to investigate whether the expected flavor associated with a colored beverage is affected by the type of receptacle in which the drink is presented. More than 400 participants from France, Japan and Norway viewed photographs of red, green, yellow, blue, orange, brown and clear beverages presented in a water glass, a wine glass, a cocktail glass or a plastic cup. They had to indicate the first flavor that came to mind by choosing a flavor from a list of 24 options, and to rate the familiarity and pleasantness of each drink. The results revealed that the nature of the receptacle modulated the meaning (expected flavor) of color for the red, green, yellow, blue and orange drinks. Cultural differences were observed in terms of the expected flavor elicited by the blue drinks, as well as how different receptacles influenced the familiarity and pleasantness ratings of the same drinks. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe present study provides a better understanding of the crossmodal correspondences observed in the case of beverages. We demonstrate how the type of receptacle, an important but all too frequently neglected contextual factor, influences the expected flavor elicited by color. These findings regarding crossmodal correspondences are relevant to sensory scientists interested in the flavor-color associations of beverages. What is more, our results also reveal crosscultural differences in the perception of beverages, and demonstrate how associations that people in certain countries/cultures may take for granted could be very surprising or novel in other cultures/countries. Specially, the present study provides new evidence concerning how people from France and Japan (both of which are well known for their unique and distinctive food cultures) would respond to the same colored drinks in similar or different ways to other groups of people (who have been tested in the present or previous research). Therefore, our findings are also important in terms of international marketing, and highlight the importance of getting the receptacle right when displaying a beverage in online marketing.

show abstract

The Multisensory Perception of Flavour

2014

The Perfect Meal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Does the type of receptacle influence the crossmodal association between colour and flavour? A cross-cultural comparison

Cited by 61 publications

References 23 publications

The Effect of A Container's Weight on the Perception of Mineral Water

The Effect of A Container's Weight on the Perception of Mineral Water

The Effects of Receptacle on the Expected Flavor of a Colored Beverage: Cross‐Cultural Comparison Among French, Japanese, and Norwegian Consumers

The Multisensory Perception of Flavour

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About