Taste-quality recognition and forced-choice response

The Collings (1974) procedure for measuring taste-quality recognition thresholds controls adequately for bias caused by variation in the willingness of subjects to report perceiving a taste quality. However, it fails to control for bias due to the preference of subjects for one response over another. In the present study, preferential selection among the response alternatives was reflected in the disproportionate occurrence of the four taste-quality names among incorrect responses. Response preferences were idiosyncratic and grew stronger with repeated testing. They were not eliminated by informing subjects of the correctness of their responses. Use of this procedure for measuring recognition thresholds is discouraged.