Question

Sensation and Perception. Lab 3: Olfaction and Taste

Instructions: For each of the letter-labeled bottles, take a small portion in you tasting cup. First smell the liquid and try to name the scent. Then taste the liquid and try to guess the flavor. You may want to dry your cup before adding the next sample.

2. Describe how flavor is a multisensory experience. You should emphasize the chemical senses, but also draw on other senses. What senses are you missing in this taste test and how might that affect things?

Answer 1

Flavor is a multisensory experience mainly needing the sensations of touch, smell and taste. The tongue alone is not enough to experience the taste and flavor of a particular item. The temperature, texture, aroma everything interplays in forming the perception of flavors. This is why people have preferences of food. This is also the same reason why a chocolate ice-cream is different from a chocolate milk-shake.

The senses which are missing in this taste test are vision and auditory. Some flavors make a distinct sound such as a fizz. Also, perceptions are highly formed when one gets to see what they are tasting. Many connections are formed with a visual image of a particular item due to prior knowledge or memory or a new-found association.