Conceptual Developments in Nutritional Psychology (Adult Population)

Food elicits several affective responses in us, from sensory (visual, olfactory, etc.) to emotional, which play a key role in influencing product choice and new product adoption. In this literature review by Kaneko et al. (2018), the authors present a detailed summary of the currently employed methods used to evaluate emotional responses to food, organized under a 3 x 3 level architecture: level of measurement (physiological, behavioral, and cognitive) and level of emotional processing (unconscious sensory, perceptual/early cognitive, and conscious/decision making). This literature review covered 101 articles (1997-2016) and generated 59 measurement parameters, however, it was noted that 60% were self-reported and evaluated the conscious/decision-making level of emotional processing. As the aim of this literature review was to aid in establishing a measurement tool for emotions invoked by food, which validates future studies and allows comparison between studies, and to recognize that the aforementioned two levels were overrepresented, the authors make the following recommendations: Firstly, to only use recognized and accepted methods of measurement. Secondly, to diversify measurement tools to encompass all levels of emotional processing, and finally, to help improve the validity of the food choice model and other employed models. To achieve this, the authors recommend providing collected datasets containing physiological, behavioral, and cognitive information. The authors conclude that this 3 x 3 categorization may help researchers compile a set of complementary measures (i.e., a “toolbox”) for their studies.