Applying Disruptive Preference Test Protocols to Increase the Number of "No Preference" Responses in the Placebo Pair, Using Chinese Consumers

One form of paired preference test protocol requires consumers to assess 2 pairs of products. One is the target pair under consideration, while the other is a putatively identical pair named the placebo pair which is also presented as a control. Counterintuitively, the majority of consumers report preferences when presented with the placebo pair. Their response frequencies are hypothesized to be those of consumers having no preference and are compared with the response frequencies elicited by a target pair, to determine whether the target pair elicits significant preferences. The primary goal of this paper was to study the robustness of 2 new so called disruptive protocols that reduced the proportion of consumers, who reported preferences when assessing a putatively identical pair of products. For this task, the tests were performed in a different language, in a different country, using different products from before. The results showed that the proportion of consumers reporting preferences for the placebo pair was reduced, confirming earlier work. Also, comparison of d' values showed a lack of significant overall differences between the placebo and target pairs, while chi-squared analyses indicated significant differences in the response frequencies. This indicated that the sample was segmented into 2 balanced groups with opposing preferences. Practical Application When presented with a putatively identical pair of products for a paired preference test, the majority of consumers report preferences. This counterintuitive result casts doubt on results of paired preference tests performed with different products and needs examination to better understand the sensory mechanisms and information processing in the brain associated with such a test result. Part of this examination was the development of so called disruptive protocols that do not elicit a majority of preference responses to putatively identical stimuli.This paper continues this investigation.