Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of cola type on taste perception. It was hypothesized that participants would correctly discriminate “different” cola pairs (e.g., Coke-Pepsi, C-P) to a greater extent than “same” cola pairs (e.g., Pepsi-Pepsi, P-P). The results support the hypothesis. Overall, a higher percentage of “different” cola pairs were correctly discriminated. In addition, it was hypothesized that participants would correctly identify “different” cola pairs to a greater extent than “same” cola pairs. Contrary to prediction, the results did not support the hypothesis. Overall, there were no differences.
The Effects of Cola Type on Taste Perception Over the years, there have been many studies conducted on the identification of cola beverages. One such study was done by Thumin (1962). Thumin took studies that had been done before and modified them to fit into his hypothesis. He wanted to know whether or not the fact that the participants hadn’t been told what the different brands of cola were had anything to do with the negative results that were obtained.
Thumin first found out what each of the participants’ cola habits were and then the participants were told the 3 different types of cola that they were going to taste. Thumin found that participants could correctly identify Coke and Pepsi more often than the Royal Crown brand. He also found that their identification of a specific soda didn’t matter how much cola they drank before the study (whether heavy, moderate, or light). Thumin proved his hypothesis purely by telling the participants the three different cola brands they were going to be drinking and letting them taste them before the experiment began. By doing this, the participants didn’t have to guess the way they might have if they didn’t know what the actual brands were.
Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of