Does data capture device affect sensory descriptive analysis results?
Research facilities often compare historical to newly obtained data sets. The question arises: can data from recent studies be compared to older studies in which different data collection devices were used? The objective of this study was to determine if data capture device type had a significant influence on sensory descriptive analysis results.
12 trained assessors evaluated 4 snack bar products in triplicate on three devices (iPod, iPad, laptop with monitor) using unstructured line scales. Four-way univariate analysis of variance indicated no significant difference in 19 of 20 attributes for Product x Device interactions. All products were ranked in a similar manner for attribute intensities on all devices. The monitor differs significantly from the iPad and iPod in Device effect in 18 of the 20 attributes. The source of the Device differences could be due to screen size or the input method (stylus); further research is required to evaluate the effect of using a stylus. No significant differences were found between the iPad and the iPod, but average scale level largely followed a trend in which higher average scale responses were obtained for smaller screens. Generalized Procrustes Analysis was used to obtain a consensus configuration of Product x Device objects (Fig. 1), which showed very similar arrangements for all products. There was no evidence that ellipse sizes differ across devices. Thus in spite of level differences, products are ranked similarly in intensity, and provide similar product information. A lab that switches from one device type to another can expect to obtain data that would lead to similar business conclusions.
S. K. King*, C. M. Fisher, J. C. Castura & C.J. Findlay. (2016). Does data capture device affect sensory descriptive analysis results? In Society of Sensory Professionals Conference. 26-28 October. Atlanta, Georgia, USA.