Taste dimensions in cigarette discrimination: A multidimensional scaling approach

https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(86)90019-5Get rights and content

Abstract

This study was designed to uncover the fundamental psychological taste dimensions underlying people's ability to discriminate among commercial cigarettes, determine the roles that nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide play in such taste dimensions, determine whether subjects can distinguish among cigarettes in general, and determine whether they can choose their own brand from among others. Similarities data were collected in a pairwise comparisons task. A multidimensional scaling analysis of the data revealed two dimensions, flat-sharp and high nicotine-low nicotine. Ratings of cigarette sweetness were highly related to ratings of satisfaction and pleasantness, while nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide had moderate to low correlations with the flat-sharp dimension, sweetness, satisfaction, and pleasantness. While smokers can make distinctions among cigarettes, they generally were not able to choose their own brand from among others. Implications of the study for therapeutic intervention, for constructing more palatable low nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide cigarettes, as well as for explaining weight gain upon smoking cessation were discussed.

References (17)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (20)

  • Quantifying brand loyalty: Evidence from the cigarette market

    2021, Journal of Health Economics
    Citation Excerpt :

    Although the product-specific intercepts may reflect utility from unobservable (to the econometrician) product attributes, evidence from blind taste tests suggests a small role for true (as opposed to perceived) differences. This long-standing research literature finds that smokers can less-than-perfectly distinguish their own brands from others (Husband and Godfrey, 1934; Ramond et al., 1950; Littman and Manning, 1954; Prothro, 1953; Jaffe and Glaros, 1986). While some of these studies find that smokers can discern their regular brand from others at a rate greater than implied by chance, all imply substantially less than perfect discrimination.

  • An inventory of methods suitable to assess additive-induced characterising flavours of tobacco products

    2016, Drug and Alcohol Dependence
    Citation Excerpt :

    Smokers identify taste and aroma as important factors in the pleasure derived from smoking and for their choice of cigarette brand (DiFranza et al., 1994; Leatherdale et al., 2009; Levin et al., 1990; Talhout et al., 2009). For instance, the sweetness of cigarette smoke appeared closely related to satisfaction and pleasantness (Jaffe and Glaros, 1986). Flavours are reported to mask the bitter taste of cigarette smoke, and provide a more appealing flavour (Bates et al., 1999; Fowles, 2001; SCENIHR, 2010; Sokol et al., 2014).

View all citing articles on Scopus

This study is a portion of a thesis conducted by the first author under the direction of the second. Portions of this study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, August, 1985.

View full text