New Consumer Research Technology for Food Behaviour: Overview and Validity

Garmt Dijksterhuis, Rene de Wijk, Marleen Onwezen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: the last decade has witnessed an explosion of new consumer behaviour research technology, and new methods are published almost monthly. To what extent are these methods applicable in the specific area of food consumer science, and if they are, are they any good? Methods: in this paper, we attempt to give an overview of the developments in this area. We distinguish between ('input') methods needed to shape the measurement context a consumer is brought in, e.g., by means of 'immersive' methods, and ('output') methods that perform measurements proper. Concerning the latter, we distinguish between methods focusing on neuro-science, on psychology, and on behaviour. In addition, we suggest a way to assess the validity of the methods, based on psychological theory, concerning biases resulting from consumer awareness of a measurement situation. The methods are evaluated on three summarising validity criteria; conclusions: the conclusion is that behavioural measures generally appear more valid than psychological or neuro-scientific methods. The main conclusion is that validity of a method should never be taken for granted, and it should be always be assessed in the context of the research question.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages23
JournalFoods
Volume11
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Behaviour measurement
  • Consumer research technology
  • Food choice
  • Validity

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