Reliability of psychophysical measures of gustatory function

Abstract

Test-retest reliabilities of five measures of sucrose taste perception were evaluated in 25 individuals over a 29-day period. Both water and complex beverages were used as diluents. Group mean values did not differ significantly over the study period, although they were consistently characterized by a high level of variability. The stability of individual test-retest values differed depending upon whether ordinal rankings or absolute values of responses were considered. The magnitude of noted test-retest discrepancies varied across sensory measures. No training effect or influence of the diluent was observed on group reliability estimates, although individual responses were differentially modified by both factors. These observations suggest that the selection of gustatory test measures and tastants for a particular purpose should be based, in part upon reliability criteria. © 1988 Psychonomic Society, Inc.