A new approach to sensitivity testing with 4-year olds

In order to have valid results from sensory experiments with pre-schoolers, there is a need to match the sensory test to the abilities of children. A new approach for sensitivity testing with 4- year olds was therefore developed to accommodate their abilities as well as to engage them in the task. Inspired by the principles of authenticity tests, a protocol was designed to induce an affective response to a paired comparison test. This protocol included a story with magical characters, and the children were asked to identify if water samples with different concentrations of diluted basic tastes were “magic” water or regular water. Water was labelled as “magic” to trigger an emotional respons…