Learning to become a taste expert

Kathryn A. Latour, John A. Deighton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Evidence suggests that consumers seek to become more expert about hedonic products to enhance their enjoyment of future consumption occasions. Current approaches to becoming expert center on cultivating an analytic mind-set. In the present research the authors explore the benefit to enthusiasts of moving beyond analytics to cultivate a holistic style of processing. In the taste context the authors define holistic processing as nonverbal, imagery-based, and involving narrative processing. The authors conduct qualitative interviews with taste experts (Master Sommeliers) to operationalize the holistic approach to hedonic learning, and then test it against traditional analytic methods in a series of experiments across a range of hedonic products. The results suggest that hedonic learning follows a sequence of stages whose order matters, and that the holistic stage is facilitated by attending to experience as a narrative event and by employing visual imagery. The results of this multimethod investigation have implications for both managers and academics interested in how consumers learn to become expert in hedonic product categories.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-19
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Consumer Research
Volume46
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2019

Keywords

  • Analytic
  • Expertise
  • Hedonic
  • Holistic
  • Learning
  • Sensory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Business and International Management
  • Anthropology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Economics and Econometrics
  • Marketing

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