Expertise Shapes Multimodal Imagery for Wine

Although taste and smell seem hard to imagine, some people nevertheless report vivid imagery in these sensory modalities. We investigate whether experts are better able to imagine smells and tastes because they have learned the ability, or whether they are better imaginers in the first place, and so become experts. To test this, we first compared a group of wine experts to yoked novices using a battery of questionnaires. We show for the first time that experts report greater vividness of wine imagery, with no difference in vividness across sensory modalities. In contrast, novices had more vivid color imagery than taste or odor imagery for wines. Experts and novices did not differ on other vividness of imagery measures, suggesting a domain-specific effect of expertise. Critically, in a second study, we followed a group of students commencing a wine course and a group of matched control participants. Students and controls did not differ before the course, but after the wine course students reported more vivid wine imagery. We provide evidence that expertise improves imagery, exemplifying the extent of plasticity of cognition underlying the chemical senses

A new wine tasting approach based on emotional responses to rapidly recognize classic european wine styles

Conventional tasting sheets are widely used to evaluate wine quality in wine tasting competitions. However, the higher scores are mostly obtained by international commercial wines, resulting in lower scores being awarded to the classic Europeanwines. We hypothesize that this is due to the tasting methodology that fails to recognize this wine style. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to show the implementation of a new wine tasting approach to overcome this drawback. The proposed training technique is based on the emotional responses of the taster after smelling two wines of clearly opposite styles. The first wine is characterized by high aromatic intensity but low in-mouth intensity, perceived as disappointing to the taster, here defined as an “easy” wine. The second wine is characterized as a wine with low aromatic intensity but that provides an unexpectedly positive in-mouth experience, here defined as a “difficult” wine. These emotions are explained by the wine sensorial characteristics. The “easy” wine has an intense, simple smell with short persistence while the “difficult” wine has a low intensity, complex aroma, and long persistence. The first style corresponds to the international commercial wines most prized in international wine challenges. The second, frequently rejected by untrained tasters, is consistent with the “so called” classic European wines, and is characterized by light red or yellow straw colors, weak smell intensity, and aggressive mouth-feel. After no more than four training sessions and using the OIV tasting sheet, inexperienced tasters were able to score “difficult” wines equally as “easy” wines and understand their different attributes. In conclusion, this new tasting approach may be used by wine professionals to explain the characteristics of high quality wines that are not easily recognized by untrained consumersinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A multi-sensory and embodied understanding of wine consumption

In this paper, we investigate the complex multi-sensory responses required to experience and evaluate wine. We suggest that wine tasting be recognized as an aesthetic experience that allows individuals to enlarge their understanding of wine and experience pleasure. Through interviews, observations, and wine tastings with novices and experts, along with metaphor and blending analysis, we interpret similarities and differences, with the concept of taste referring not only to flavor but also to culture capital. Embodiment processes in wine consumption can be understood at the conscious level using Merleau-Ponty's concept of perception and virtual enactments. We argue that while the structure of perception is given by imagination, fanciful imaginings—in particular those used by experts—to identify wine in blind tastings can also be understood through the foreground/background effect. The perceiver and imaginer are the same; what links them is the imagining body. At the unconscious level, we use conceptual metaphors and conceptual blending processes to elaborate on embodiment to understand the taste regime processes associated with wine. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of embodiment processes through the application of Merleau-Ponty's theory of perceptions/virtual enactments, as well as through metaphor and conceptual integration analysis

Do you want a description with that wine? The role of wine mental imagery in consumer's desire to drink using the revised Vividness of Wine Imagery Questionnaire (VWIQ-II)

The influence of general wine imagery vividness on consumers' reported desire to drink was investigated. In Study 1, the Vividness of Wine Imagery Questionnaire (VWIQ) was revised and validated so that it included the dimensions of sight, smell, flavor, and mouthfeel. Mouthfeel is an important factor in wine appreciation, both for consumers and wine experts. In Study 2, we demonstrated the usage of VWIQ in a consumer context: participants were asked to indicate their desire to drink a range of wines that differed in familiarity, with half the participants also receiving a multisensory description of the wine in addition to information regarding the wine's geographical origin and grape variety. Without a description, consumers with higher imagery vividness reported higher desire to drink compared with consumers with lower imagery vividness. However, with a description, the desire to drink from the lower imagery vividness group increased, matching the higher imagery vividness group. Practical application: The ability to imagine helps people to plan for the future. In effect, imagery ability can influence how consumers make purchase decisions. Sensory descriptions thus seemed to override differences in people's ability to imagine a wine. In summary, this research demonstrates the value of VWIQ as a tool to tailor advertisements and wine descriptions to specific groups of consumers

The impact of wine label’s sensory descriptions in the consumers’ purchasing decision and consumer experience

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Marketing IntelligenceThe wine market is saturated and with increased diversity in styles, brands and prices, the wine purchase decision is difficult, and the consumer might get lost. When consumers are shopping for wine, they face a bewildering array of products bearing a wide range of information and since the consumers cannot usually taste the wine before purchase, they must make their decision based on the available information on the label of the bottle or past decisions. This investigation aims to demonstrate how the tasting note sometimes available on the label, will influence the wine drinking experience as well as the impact that the labels have on the evaluation of quality and desire of the wine. These characteristics determine the consumer's purchase intention based on the design of the label and its respective sensory descriptions. Understanding the consumers and what motivates them is the key to any marketing strategy and wine producers need to know how consumer involvement impacts their decision to purchase wine. To carry out this investigation, a questionnaire was developed. Two hundred responses were considered in a survey with two different scenarios, the two versions were randomly assigned among the participants. The objective was to understand how the sensory description (tasting note) influenced the answers. The study reveals that when consumers know a priori the flavors present in a certain bottle of wine, it changes the way people appreciate it, it makes the experience more exciting for consumers. From the analysis of the results, it is possible to conclude that the presence of detailed sensory descriptions on the labels will allow people to more easily choose the wine they want to consume. Consumers want to be guided in the discovery of the wine flavors to facilitate future purchase decisions.O mercado dos vinhos está saturado e, com cada vez maior diversidade de estilos, marcas e preços, a decisão de compra do vinho torna-se difícil e o consumidor pode sentir-se perdido. Quando os consumidores compram vinho deparam-se com uma gama desconcertante de produtos e com uma ampla gama de informações e, uma vez que os consumidores geralmente não podem provar o vinho antes de comprar, devem tomar uma decisão com base nas informações disponíveis no rótulo da garrafa. Esta investigação pretende demonstrar como a nota de prova irá influenciar a experiência de consumo do vinho, bem como o impacto que os rótulos têm na avaliação de qualidade e desejo do vinho. Essas características determinam a intenção de compra do consumidor com base no design do rótulo e as suas respetivas descrições sensoriais. Entender os consumidores e o que os motiva é a chave para qualquer estratégia de marketing e os produtores de vinho precisam de saber como o envolvimento do consumidor afeta sua decisão de compra do vinho. Para realizar esta investigação, foi elaborado um questionário. Duzentas respostas foram consideradas numa pesquisa com dois cenários diferentes, as duas versões foram distribuídas aleatoriamente entre os participantes. O objetivo foi compreender como a descrição sensorial (nota de prova) influenciou as respostas. O estudo revela que quando o consumidor conhece a priori os sabores presentes numa determinada garrafa de vinho, que isso muda a forma como as pessoas a apreciam, tornando a experiência mais entusiasmante para o consumidor. A partir da análise dos resultados, é possível concluir que a presença de descrições sensoriais detalhadas nos rótulos permitirá que as pessoas escolham com mais facilidade o vinho que desejam consumir. Os consumidores querem ser orientados na descoberta dos sabores do vinho, o que facilitará futuras decisões de compra

Describing Faces for Identification: Getting the Message, But Not The Picture

Although humans rely on faces and language for social communication, the role of language in communicating about faces is poorly understood. Describing faces and identifying faces from verbal descriptions are important tasks in social and criminal justice settings. Prior research indicates that people have difficulty relaying face identity to others via verbal description, however little is known about the process, correlates, or content of communication about faces (hereafter ‘face communication’). In Chapter Two, I investigated face communication accuracy and its relationship with an individual’s perceptual face skill. I also examined the efficacy of a brief training intervention for improving face description ability. I found that individuals could complete face communication tasks with above chance levels of accuracy, in both interactive and non-interactive conditions, and that abilities in describing faces and using face descriptions for identification were related to an individual’s perceptual face skill. However, training was not effective for improving face description ability. In Chapter Three, I investigated qualitative attributes of face descriptions. I found no evidence of qualitative differences in face descriptions as a function of the describer’s perceptual skill with faces, the identification utility of descriptions, or the describer’s familiarity with the face. In Chapters Two and Three, the reliability of measures may have limited the ability to detect relationships between face communication accuracy and potential correlates of performance. Consequently, in Chapter Four, I examined face communication accuracy when using constrained face descriptions, derived using a rating scale, and the relationship between the identification utility of such descriptions and their reliability (test-retest and multi-rater). I found that constrained face descriptions were less useful for identification than free descriptions and the reliability of a description was unrelated to its identification utility. Together, findings in this thesis indicate that face communication is very challenging – both for individuals undertaking the task, and for researchers seeking to measure performance reliably. Given the mechanisms contributing to variance in face communication accuracy remain largely elusive, legal stakeholders would be wise to use caution when relying on evidence involving face description

Olfactory consciousness across disciplines

Our sense of smell pervasively influences our most common behaviors and daily experience, yet little is known about olfactory consciousness. Over the past decade and a half research in both the fields of Consciousness Studies and Olfaction has blossomed, however, olfactory consciousness has received little to no attention. The olfactory systems unique anatomy, functional organization, sensory processes, and perceptual experiences offers a fecund area for exploring all aspects of consciousness, as well as a external perspective for re-examining the assumptions of contemporary theories of consciousness. It has even been suggested that the olfactory system may represent the minimal neuroanatomy that is required for conscious processing. Given the variegated nature of research on consciousness, we include original papers concerning the nature of olfactory consciousness. The scope of the special edition widely incorporates olfaction as it relates to Consciousness, Awareness, Attention, Phenomenal- or Access-Consciousness, and Qualia. Research concerning olfaction and cross-modal integration as it relates to conscious experience is also address. As the initial foray into this uncharted area of research, we include contributions from across all disciplines contributing to cognitive neuroscience, including neurobiology, neurology, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer sciences. It is our hope that this Research Topic will serve as the impetus for future interdisciplinary research on olfaction and consciousness

INTERACTIONS WITH LANGUAGE IN HUMAN OLFACTORY PERCEPTION

People are notoriously bad at identifying odors by name. Why might this be? Theories range from competition for cognitive resources to poor neural connectivity to inferiority at the level of sensory transduction and perception. Here we suggest that human olfaction on its own is a measurably precise, rich, and nuanced sense. And further, we suggest that the addition of labels automatically and irresistibly changes people’s experience of odors. In the context of this thesis, we use language as a tool for understanding olfaction specifically. But also, the study of olfaction can be used as a tool for understanding perception more generally. Difficulty naming odors can be an exploitable feature rather than a bug in the system. It means that certain aspects of perception and cognition that are entangled for other sensory systems are separable in olfaction. In this thesis, we address the important gap in olfactory understanding, specifically the way odors interact with language. In Chapter 1, we found that behavioral similarity ratings for a set of everyday odors showed high agreement across participants. Adding labels to odors caused systematic shifts in response patterns that induced people to incorporate more conceptual and physical features of source objects into their evaluation of odors. In Chapter 2, we extended our previous findings by asking whether shifts in similarity responses reflected perceptual or conceptual changes. We found a dissociation between mental representations of odors and olfactory perception. Despite reliable changes in odor experience previously reported by participants, we found no change in performance in an odor mixture discrimination task when labels were added to odor stimuli. In Chapter 3, we evaluated the types of guesses people made when trying to identify odors without any visual or context clues. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that odor naming ability is widely distributed, even within a relatively homogeneous test population (and even after controlling for low-level olfactory perceptual ability and general verbal ability) and that some odor stimuli are reliably easier to name than others. Taken together, these results suggest there is a greater depth and complexity to human olfactory experience than previously thought. Similarity ratings of odors are not only malleable with verbal context, they are separable from olfactory perception and they reflect previously unknown dimensions of odor experience