Effects of Imagery as Visual Stimuli on the Physiological and Emotional Responses

Abstract

Study of emotions has gained interest in the field of sensory and consumer research. Accurate information can be obtained by studying physiological behavior along with self-reported-responses. The aim was to identify physiological and self-reported-responses towards visual stimuli and predict self-reported-responses using biometrics. Panelists (N = 63) were exposed to 12 images (ten from Geneva Affective PicturE Database (GAPED), two based on common fears) and a questionnaire (Face scale and EsSense). Emotions from facial expressions (FaceReaderTM), heart rate (HR), systolic pressure (SP), diastolic pressure (DP), and skin temperature (ST) were analyzed. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict self-reported-responses based on biometrics. Results showed that physiological along with self-reported responses were able to separate images based on cluster analysis as positive, neutral, or negative according to GAPED classification. Emotional terms with high or low valence were predicted by a general linear regression model using biometrics, while calm, which is in the center of emotion dimensional model, was not predicted. After separating images, positive and neutral categories could predict all emotional terms, while negative predicted Happy, Sad, and Scared. Heart Rate predicted emotions in positive (R2 = 0.52 for Scared) and neutral (R2 = 0.55 for Sad) categories while ST in positive images (R2 = 0.55 for Sad, R2 = 0.45 for Calm).

Consumer Acceptability, Eye Fixation, and Physiological Responses: A Study of Novel and Familiar Chocolate Packaging Designs Using Eye-Tracking Devices

“…This was also shown in the PCA (Figure 8A) and correlation matrix (Figure 8B) constructed using all conscious and unconscious responses, where the “happy” emotion, liking and familiarity, and fixations on brand name and image were all correlated with familiar chocolate packaging. The SD values of the self-reported responses were high, which is in accordance with another study conducted using visual stimuli with high SD scores for self-reported responses [43]. The high variability found in the responses might be due to cultural differences.…”

Coffee Label Assessment Using Sensory and Biometric Analysis of Self-Isolating Panelists through Videoconference

“…The most accepted label from this study with positive emotional responses and positive emojis was the premium concept, which is in accordance with other label studies for chocolates [4]. The opposite responses were obtained for the bold label with the cheese dip concept, which could have been associated with cheesy aroma in the coffee (Tables 4 and 5).…”

“…Sensory analysis of packaging, labels, and label information is the easiest assessment that can be conducted in social isolation and when products are not as physically available for other sensory assessments. Packaging, labels, and label information can be presented to panelists and consumers through images as stimuli, which have been shown to render similar results statistically compared to those when the packaging is physically available [3] and compared to the sensory characteristics of other products, such as chocolate [4], yogurt [5], beef [6], and baby formula [3]. Furthermore, label designs are one of the most important factors defining the preference and purchase intention of consumers toward wines in general [7], consumers with low involvement [8], and millennials [9], especially when assessing labels with recognizable features, such as animals, novelty designs [7], and colors [10].…”

Novel Method to Conduct Remote Sensory Sessions and Biometrics during Isolation

“…Findings were consistent with those from similar studies from previous publications conducted in a sensory laboratory [4][5][6][7][8][9], which confirms the reliability of the proposed virtual method. Further developments involve the assessment of multiple participants to record their biometrics simultaneously and optimize the sensory session time.…”