Measuring sensory perception in relation to consumer behavior

Sensory scientists focus much of their efforts on measuring specific sensations elicited by products, or measuring the pleasure provided by products. Substantially less effort is given to measuring consumer behavior in regard to intake or use. Implicitly or explicitly, sensations are assumed to influence liking, acceptance, and preference, which in turn influence use and intake. That is, sensory and consumer scientists generally assume formulation ultimately influences use (or at least purchase). However, measurement error at each stage complicates efforts to build causal models of the chain from formulation to use. This chapter highlights sources of variability at various points, including measurement error and innate biological differences in the putative path from formulation to use.