The Warm‐up Effect as a Means of Increasing the Discriminability of Sensory Difference Tests

Abstract

A procedure involving rapid tasting of alternate samples, known as 'warm-up,' was used prior to difference testing and was found to improve performance on triangle tests, both for a model and a food system. Requiring judges to describe the difference during the warmup improved performance marginally.

Covariation in individuals’ sensitivities to bitter compounds: Evidence supporting multiple receptor/transduction mechanisms

“…This technique is known as a warmed-up paired comparison (Thieme & O'Mahony, 1990), and it allows one to use a paired comparison test even when the attribute that differentiates the two stimuli is difficult to articulate. An additional advantage of a warm-up is that it improves a subject's ability to distinguish between stimuli (O'Mahony, Thieme, & Goldstein, 1988).…”

Sensory difference tests: Overdispersion and warm-up

“…For gustation, the phenomenon is more akin to the latter, taste discrimination having many of the attributes of skilled behavior. In current practice (Dacremont, Sauvageot, & Duyen, 2000;OÕMahony, Thieme, & Goldstein, 1988;Thieme & OÕMahony, 1990) warm-up involves judges alternately testing the two stimuli to be discriminated, knowing which is which, until they have identified the difference in sensations elicited by the two confusable stimuli. Often, with confusable taste stimuli, a judge will not, at first, perceive a difference.…”

Sensory difference tests for margarine: A comparison of R-Indices derived from ranking and A-Not A methods considering response bias and cognitive strategies

“…Obviously the difference between the product 'F' and 'A' was much smaller than other differences. It may be hypothesized that the reason that it was discriminated better by the 'A-Not A: multiple' protocol was that the 'familiarization' (prior presentation of 'A' and 'Not A' products) came closer to a warm-up procedure and thus elicited greater judge discriminability for such small difference (Dacremont, Sauvageot, & Duyen, 2000;O'Mahony, Thieme, & Goldstein, 1988;Thieme & O'Mahony, 1990).…”