Tasting in 2D: Implications of Food Shape, Visual Cues, and Oral Haptic Sensory Inputs
Published In
Marketing Letters
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
12-1-2016
Abstract
Marketers often vary the shape and dimensions of food products. But could changing the shape (e.g., molding food into cubes or rectangular prisms) or altering the dimensions (e.g., cutting food into thicker or thinner pieces) have unintended consequences in terms of influencing consumers’ size perceptions, calorie estimates, or desired consumption volume of the food? Research related to visual inputs and the elongation bias would suggest that thicker and cube-shaped foods would be perceived as larger and higher in calories; however, research related to oral haptic sensory inputs (i.e., the way the food feels in the mouth) would suggest that thinner and rectangular shaped foods would be perceived as larger and higher in calories. We test these competing predictions in a series of three experimental studies and find support for the oral haptic-based hypothesis. Conceptual and managerial implications are discussed.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1007/s11002-015-9378-6
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/18899
Citation Details
Szocs, C., & Biswas, D. (2015). Tasting in 2D: implications of food shape, visual cues, and oral haptic sensory inputs. Marketing Letters, 1-12.