CSA CSA Consumer Research & Market Applications 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In consumer sensory research, a hedonic scale is primarily used to measure:
- Overall liking or acceptance of a product (Correct answer)
- The intensity of a specific sensory attribute
- Discrimination between two products
- Threshold detection for an off-flavor
Correct answer: Overall liking or acceptance of a product
A hedonic scale (most commonly the 9-point scale from 'dislike extremely' to 'like extremely') measures affective response — how much a consumer likes or accepts a product overall.
Question 2: What is the minimum recommended number of consumers for a central location test (CLT) intended to provide reliable preference data for a product launch decision?
- 75–150 per cell (Correct answer)
- 10–20 per cell
- 300–500 per cell
- 25–50 per cell
Correct answer: 75–150 per cell
Industry guidelines typically recommend 75–150 consumers per test cell for a CLT to achieve adequate statistical power for detecting meaningful preference differences at standard alpha and beta levels.
Question 3: Which consumer segmentation approach in sensory science groups respondents based on their patterns of liking scores across multiple products rather than demographic variables?
- Cluster analysis of hedonic data (Correct answer)
- Conjoint analysis
- Focus group segmentation
- Demographic cross-tabulation
Correct answer: Cluster analysis of hedonic data
Cluster analysis applied to consumer hedonic data (e.g., k-means or hierarchical clustering) identifies consumer segments with similar preference patterns, enabling targeted product development for specific groups.
Question 4: In a home-use test (HUT), which key advantage over a central location test (CLT) is most relevant for food product research?
- Consumers evaluate products in their natural usage context (Correct answer)
- Larger sample sizes are easier to recruit
- Sensory analysts can directly observe consumption behavior
- Products are evaluated under controlled lighting conditions
Correct answer: Consumers evaluate products in their natural usage context
HUTs allow consumers to use products in their real-life environment and over multiple occasions, which increases ecological validity and captures usage behaviors, preparation variations, and repeat-use effects that CLTs cannot replicate.
Question 5: The 'just-about-right' (JAR) scale in consumer testing is best analyzed using which statistical approach to identify which attributes are driving overall liking?
- Penalty analysis (mean drop analysis) (Correct answer)
- ANOVA with Tukey HSD
- Principal component analysis (PCA)
- Spearman rank correlation
Correct answer: Penalty analysis (mean drop analysis)
Penalty analysis calculates the mean drop in overall liking score for consumers who rated an attribute as 'too low' or 'too high' versus 'just about right,' identifying actionable reformulation priorities.
Question 6: Which type of consumer test is MOST appropriate to determine whether a cost-reduction reformulation has been successfully disguised from consumers?
- Sequential monadic blind test with a preference question (Correct answer)
- Branded concept test
- Qualitative focus group
- CATA (Check-All-That-Apply) survey
Correct answer: Sequential monadic blind test with a preference question
A sequential monadic blind test presents both formulations without brand or formula information, and the preference/liking comparison reveals whether consumers can perceive a meaningful difference despite the cost change.
CSA CSA Consumer Research & Market Applications 1
In consumer sensory research, a hedonic scale is primarily used to measure: