Visual communication via the design of food and beverage packaging
- Authors: Spence, Charles , Van Doorn, George
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications Vol. 7, no. 1 (2022), p.
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- Description: A rapidly growing body of empirical research has recently started to emerge highlighting the connotative and/or semiotic meanings that consumers typically associate with specific abstract visual design features, such as colours (either when presented individually or in combination), simple shapes/curvilinearity, and the orientation and relative position of those design elements on product packaging. While certain of our affective responses to such basic visual design features appear almost innate, the majority are likely established via the internalization of the statistical regularities of the food and beverage marketplace (i.e. as a result of associative learning), as in the case of round typeface and sweet-tasting products. Researchers continue to document the wide range of crossmodal correspondences that underpin the links between individual visual packaging design features and specific properties of food and drink products (such as their taste, flavour, or healthfulness), and the ways in which marketers are now capitalizing on such understanding to increase sales. This narrative review highlights the further research that is still needed to establish the connotative or symbolic/semiotic meaning(s) of particular combinations of design features (such as coloured stripes in a specific orientation), as opposed to individual cues in national food markets and also, increasingly, cross-culturally in the case of international brands. © 2022, The Author(s).
The influence of training and expertise on the multisensory perception of beer : a review
- Authors: Van Doorn, George , Watson, Shaun , Timora, Justin , Spence, Charles
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Food Quality and Preference Vol. 79, no. (Jan 2020), p. 8
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- Description: This review critically evaluates the literature documenting the impact of training on people's percept ion of beer. In certain circumstances, training has been shown to improve people's ability to match and identify beers, and to discriminate between beers and between the distinctive attributes of beer. However, a reasonably consistent finding is that the benefits of beer training do not seem to generalise to novel beers (i.e., those not experienced during training). As such, training would appear to improve the capacity to label perception and/or people's recognition memory for beers, rather than necessarily influencing perception itself. Given how much beer is consumed annually, it is surprising that there has not been more published research into the role that training plays in this particular beverage category. Part of the reason for this may relate to (a) the limited role of experts in this field (e.g., primarily restricted to product testing and quality control; as compared to their much more prominent role in the world of wine), (b) the fact that training is an expensive and time-consuming process, and (c) it is wrongly assumed that the effects of training are similar across different beverage categories (e.g., beer and wine). We suggest that further efforts are therefore required before it will be possible to confidently conclude that training lowers the perceptual thresholds, and enhances the perceptual discrimination abilities, of beer experts above those of novices.
Systema Temporis : a time-based dimensional framework for consciousness and cognition
- Authors: Kent, Lachlan , Van Doorn, George , Klein, Britt
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Consciousness and Cognition Vol. 73, no. (2019), p. 1-12
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- Description: This study uses a combined categorical-dimensional approach to depict a hierarchical framework for consciousness similar to, and contiguous with, factorial models of cognition (cf., intelligence). On the basis of the longstanding definition of time consciousness, the analysis employs a dimension of temporal extension, in the same manner that psychology has temporally organised memory (i.e., short-term, long-term, and long-lasting memories). By defining temporal extension in terms of the structure of time perception at short timescales (<100 s), memory and time consciousness are proposed to fit along the same logarithmic dimension. This suggests that different forms of time consciousness (e.g., experience, wakefulness, and self-consciousness) are embedded within, or supported by, the ascending timescales of different modes of memory (i.e., short-term, long-term, etc.). A secondary dimension is also proposed to integrate higher-order forms of consciousness/emotion and memory/cognition. The resulting two-dimensional structure accords with existing theories of cognitive and emotional intelligence.
The visual appearance of beer : A review concerning visually-determined expectations and their consequences for perception
- Authors: Van Doorn, George , Timora, Justin , Watson, Shaun , Moore, Chris , Spence, Charles
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Food Research International Vol. 126, no. (2019), p.
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- Description: This review critically evaluates the literature concerning the impact of visual appearance cues (including colour, foam, and cloudiness) on people's perception in the beer category. The authors assess both the sensory expectations that are elicited by the visual appearance of beer, and the extent to which those expectations carry-over to influence the actual tasting experience. Beer is a particularly intriguing category to study since the differing production rules in different countries mean that there is not always the same scope to modify the colour in order to meet perceived consumer demands. What is more, there is currently disagreement in the literature concerning the impact of beer colour and foam on people's expectations of beer prior to tasting, and their multisensory flavour perception on tasting. Given how much beer is consumed annually, it is surprising that more research has not been published that assesses the undoubtedly important role of visual appearance in this beverage category. Part of the reason for this may simply be that it is difficult to create consistent experimental stimuli given the rapid transition of the head of the beer post-serving. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
Time dilation and acceleration in depression
- Authors: Kent, Lachlan , Van Doorn, George , Klein, Britt
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Acta Psychologica Vol. 194, no. (2019), p. 77-86
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- Description: Background: A recent meta-analysis left open a significant question regarding altered time perception in depression: Why do depressed people overproduce short durations and under-produce longer durations if their present experience is that time flows slowly? Experience and judgement of time do not seem to accord with one another. Analysis: By excluding two of the six studies on methodological grounds from a previous meta-analysis of medium-length interval productions, and re-analysing the remaining four studies, the present paper finds that subjective time accelerates from initial dilation within present experience (approximately 1 s duration) to subsequent acceleration within working memory (approximately 30 s duration) when depressed. Proposals: It is proposed that depressive time dilation and acceleration refer to the default mode and central executive networks, respectively. The acceleration effect is suggested to occur due to mood congruency between long intervals, boredom, and depression. This mood congruency leads to the automatic recall of intrusive, negative, and non-specific autobiographical long-term memories used to judge intervals from previous experience. Acceleration in working memory then occurs according to the contextual change model of duration estimation. Limitations: The meta-analysis is limited to four studies only, but provides a potential link between time experience and judgement within the same explanatory model. Conclusions: Similarities between psychological time dilation/acceleration and physical time dilation/acceleration are discussed.
The Pepsi paradox : A review
- Authors: Van Doorn, George , Miloyan, Beyon
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Food Quality and Preference Vol. 65, no. (2018), p. 194-197
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- Description: The Pepsi Paradox refers to the observation that Pepsi is preferred to Coke in blind taste tests, despite Coke being regarded as the more successful brand. We begin by describing the origins of the Pepsi Paradox. We then outline a neural hypothesis for why it occurs. Next, we carefully assess the published behavioural studies related to the Pepsi Paradox, and on people's ability to distinguish colas by taste. We conclude that the existing research has failed to provide sufficient evidence for the existence of the Pepsi Paradox. In fact, there does not even seem to be a consistent taste preference for either beverage in the reviewed studies.
Cloninger's personality dimensions and ADHD : A meta-analytic review
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Van Doorn, George , Watson, Shaun , Gomez, Andre , Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Personality and Individual Differences Vol. 107, no. (2017), p. 219-227
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- Description: A meta-analysis of up to 20 datasets is reported that examined the relationships between Cloninger's personality dimensions and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Cloninger's model comprises four temperament (Novelty-Seeking, Harm-Avoidance, Reward Dependence, and Persistence) and three character (Self-Directedness, Cooperation, and Self-Transcendence) dimensions. Major findings were that all personality dimensions, except Self-Transcendence, were significantly associated with ADHD. These associations had different directions and magnitudes of relationship with ADHD. The associations were especially strong for Novelty-Seeking and Self-Directedness, being positive for Novelty-Seeking and negative for Self-Directedness. In addition, the association between ADHD and Persistence was moderated by age (stronger in children than adults) and source (stronger in clinical samples than community samples). Further, the association between harm avoidance and ADHD was moderated by age (strong and significant in adults, but not significant in children). Findings are discussed in relation to past work and the different strengths of the associations found between Cloninger's personality dimensions and ADHD, developmental differences in these relationships, implications for theoretical models of ADHD, the influence of biological and environmental factors in the expression of ADHD, implications for treatment and diagnosis, and the underlying processes for the relationships between personality and ADHD. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd