Here’s looking at you, wafer

New research from ESN member BOKU illustrates why expectation and perception don´t always match.

You think you’re going to enjoy the meal? If you are not familiar with the food, you may well be disappointed. New research from ESN member BOKU illustrates why expectation and perception don´t always match.

A study participant tasting and rating the different wafers


Imagine you are at a buffet, hungry and ready to choose. You gaze over the food, zoom in on one of the dishes, anticipate a delightful treat, grab it and eat it. Yummy! (Or not). Scientists want to take a closer look at this behavior and investigate the processes, from gazing, to wanting, to liking. The goal is to deepen our understanding of how we choose our food.

Thi Minh Hang Vu and her colleagues from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences BOKU in Vienna, Austria asked 242 volunteers from Vietnam and Austria to look at the packages of four kinds of typical Austrian wafers from the Manner company in Vienna. The wafers are a familiar product in Austria, whereas they are unknown in Vietnam. The sweet treats were flavored with either hazelnut, vanilla, or lemon; one treat contained whole grains. The volunteers had to indicate first which product they would like to try the most.

Read the full story in our Opens external link in new windownew findings section

 

Source:
Gazing behavior reactions of Vietnamese and Austrian consumers to Austrian wafers and their relations to wanting, expected and tasted liking
Thi Minh Hang Vua, Viet Phu Tub, Klaus Duerrschmid
Opens external link in new windowFood Research International (in press)