| Title: |
Sensory expectation, perception, and autonomic nervous system responses
to package colours and product popularity |
| Author(s): |
Aurelia Schulte-Holierhoek, Luz Verastegui-Tena, Robert P.G. Goedegebure, Betina Piqueras-Fiszman and Paul A.M. Smeets |
| Journal: |
Food Quality and Preference |
| Year: |
2017 |
| Volume: |
62 |
| Pages: |
60-70 |
| DOI: |
10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.06.017 |
| File URL: |
/vuams-pubs/ Schulte-Holierhoek_Food_Quality_and_Preference_2017.pdf |
| Keywords: |
Autonomic nervous system, Heart rate, Skin conductance, Descriptive social norm, Packaging, Taste |
| Abstract: |
Consumers’ perception of, and behaviour towards, products are influenced by extrinsic cues, including packaging
and social norms. However, the understanding of this process is unsatisfactorily captured by questionnaires.
Autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses can be used to measure implicit consumer responses. The aim of this
work was to assess how packaging cues and social norms influence product expectation, product perception, and
ANS responses. Ninety-eight adults (age: 23.3 ± 3.2 years; BMI: 21.3 ± 2.2 kg/m2) first viewed four images of
a yogurt package modified in hue (blue/red), brightness (high/low), and saturation (high/low) and two dummies
alongside a fictitious product popularity score. After each image presentation, participants rated their
expectations of the yogurt, tasted, and rated their perception of it. Expectations and the perception of liking,
healthiness, sweetness, and flavour intensity were rated on 100-unit VAS scales. Heart rate (HR) and skin
conductance response (SCR) to the image and tasting were measured. The darker, saturated red package elicited
the lowest expectation of healthiness and the highest expectation of flavour intensity and sweetness. Red
packages increased SCR while blue packages decreased them. During yogurt tasting, low product popularity was
associated with a stronger decrease in SCR than a high popularity. Overall, the measured ANS responses were
small. In conclusion, this study was the first to look at the effect of expectations elicited by a product’s packaging
colour and popularity on explicit ratings and ANS responses. We found differences in SCR to package colour and
product popularity, suggesting their importance in affecting consumer responses. |
