Taste and SmellPsychology

Variables that impact our sense of taste

1. Being hungry or having a salt deficiency makes sweet or salty things taste better.

2. Temp. does not alter saltiness, but warm foods are experienced as sweeter.

3. Texture influences our perception of food. (Most people do not like soggy potato chips!)

4. Babies prefer bland, salty, and sweet foods

5. As we get older, prefer sweets, salty, and spicy foods.

Olfaction

• The sense of smell.• Shape of the molecule of the chemical

substances…lock onto a receptor.• Cilia= (hairs) collect molecules of odor…

electrical signal is sent to the olfactory bulbs….sent to the brain.

• Triggers emotional memories• Most animal like of all human senses• Helps in survival….detect spoiled food.

Anosmia

• Condition where people are unable to distinguish different smells. Can be born with this condition or it can result from brain damage.

Taste and Smell

• Without smell we can not fully detect the flavor of foods or drinks.

Gustation

• Sense of taste.• Four basic tastes (perception):

– Salty sour– Bitter Sweet

Fifth Sense of taste

• New “taste”: Umani (MSG) found in processed foods and Asian dishes…..taste of amino acids.

“Tongue Map” mistake

• 1942: study by Edwin Boring at Harvard University …..released the “tongue map”

• His study was completely wrong!!!!

• 1993 major discovery was made!!!

• Taste receptors are located on the TONGUE, ROOF OF THE MOUTH, CHEECKS, AND THROAT.

Taste

• Papillae- knoblike elevations on the tongue (contain the taste buds)

• Adults have 10,000 receptors.

• Each taste bud has anywhere from 15 to 50 receptors.

• Taste receptors line the insides of the papillae, within each bud are receptors

Taste

• Signal is sent to the Parietal lobe and the limbic system.

• The receptors get replaced every 10 days.

• Around age 40, the rejuvenation process starts to slow down.

• Infants have more papillae and the elderly have fewer.

• Humans can identify a taste within one-tenth of a second.

Number of receptors impact our perception

Taste

• Supertasters: 25% of the general population. Have over 35 receptors in each taste bud. Typically find coffee bitter, perceive certain foods as sweetier, saltier, and “spicy” food are difficult to enjoy.

• Tasters: 50% of pop. Average number of receptors.

• Nontasters: 25% of pop. Detects very little flavors(tastes). Perception of taste is less intense.