Effects of illumination on perceived intensity of acid tastes

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Abstract
Changes in ambient light have been reported to affect taste intensity perception. In an experiment designed to clarify the nature of this effect 48 Ss each tasted 27 pairs of citric acid samples, judging the intensity of the second sample relative to the first. Four sets of acid stimuli varying in discriminability were used, and three conditions of ambient illumination change. Half the Ss received systematic reinforcement of their responses, the others did not. Results suggest that Ss use hetero‐modal cues as an alternative response basis when the primary discrimination task is relatively difficult.