A JND-scale/category-scale convergence in taste

Abstract

The Weber fraction for the sweetness of sucrose was determined at six concentrations. The results provided good support for Weber's law except for deviation near threshold, a finding consistent with previous work. Consequently, the JND scale approximated to Fechner's law. The psychophysical function for sucrose sweetness was also obtained by category rating, with precautions taken to preclude methodological bias. This function was likewise found to conform to Fechner's law, suggesting a JND-scale/category-scale convergence. This convergence was further supported by experiments with the taste stimuli citric acid (acid/sour), sodium chloride (salty), and caffeine (bitter), which showed that the indirectly derived JND scale provides the same measure of taste intensity as the scale obtained directly by category rating. © 1983 Psychonomic Society, Inc.