Human Experience of Eating and Drinking: Perspectives on 50 Years of Measurement Progress

Abstract

Major historical trends in the evolution of the measurement of human eating and drinking experiences during the past 50 years are presented. Highlights of progress are summarized from the perspectives of (1) who is the focus of measurement, (2) what is being measured, (3) how we quantify eating and drinking experience, and (4) where or under what conditions the measurements of eating and drinking take place. Among the major trends highlighted are the shift from trained to consumer panelists; the shift from obtaining simple sensory, liking, and/or hunger/satiety judgments to the measurement of a much wider array of human experiences; the expansion and, perhaps, retraction from advanced scaling measures to simple “indicators” of sensory and hedonic intensity; and improvements in the number and variety of situations and contexts in which the measurement of eating and drinking takes place. The goal of these perspectives is to inform the reader about both progress in the field and challenges that remain in the study of human eating and drinking experience.