Hidden and False “Preferences” on the Structured 9‐point Hedonic Scale

An unspecified number of consumers who used a 9‐point hedonic scale were frustrated because they could not express preferences for products with the same ratings. Accordingly, consumers were required to rate samples of yogurt on a 9‐point structured hedonic scale. Consumers were able to express preference judgments because the testing was performed one‐on‐one with the experimenter. Thus, it was possible to determine the proportion of consumers who had given the same hedonic response to yogurts but still had preferences for one or other of the stimuli. Further testing, which included a pair of identical yogurts among the stimuli, allowed the proportion of preference and no preference responses elicited by identical stimuli to be determined in this context. Such data are useful as a control condition in preference testing, to assess the proportion of false preferences induced by the experimental conditions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Consumer liking for various products is typically measured using the 9‐point structured hedonic scale. Sometimes, consumers will give the same score to two products yet prefer one to the other. Such preferences are not recorded if the consumer is isolated from the experimenter and has no means of reporting them. However, the situation is easily rectified if the experimenter interacts one‐on‐one with the consumer. Sometimes, false preferences can be obtained from a hedonic scale. This tendency can be monitored by including identical stimuli in the measurements. The present study investigated the extent of such problems so that methods could be devised to address the problem.