N1 and LNC reveal the differential electrophysiological signatures of functional and hedonic images processing.

In the process of creative sentence or phrase utilization, novel and appropriate evaluations cause the different brain responses observed in event-related potentials: the N400 reflects the novelty evaluation, whereas a late negative component marks appropriate processing. Do we have similar brain reactions in image perception when we rapidly browse pictures of objects with different novelty, functional/appropriate, and hedonic value? To explore this question, participants were presented with four novel object images with high or low functional and hedonic properties, as well as the ordinary product images, with the instruction to attentively observe and understand each image. We found a clear dissociation between processing of novelty and functional value: novelty objects produced negative deflections in the N2-N400 time window relative to the ordinary object images, whereas images with high functional value elicited a larger N2 and late negative waves (LNC) resembling the late component found for the appropriate phrases. Object images with high hedonic value, however, were associated with earlier aesthetic preference reflected in smaller N1 amplitudes, but failed to elicit a LNC effect. We therefore conclude that the processing of novelty, functional, and hedonic value are dissociation, and the perception of hedonic value is earlier (N1) than the novelty processing (N400) and the verification of functional value (LNC).

Sensory and Physical Properties of Fibrous Meat Analogs Made from Faba Bean, Pea, and Oat Using High-Moisture Extrusion.

Faba bean is a promising source of ingredients for the production of meat analogs. However, sensory properties of faba bean, especially the bitter taste of the protein concentrate, restrict its use. Our aim was to assess the feasibility of two types of faba bean ingredients-flour (from germinated, gently heat-treated beans) and groat (from non-germinated, roasted beans)-in combination with pea protein isolate and oat fiber concentrate for producing meat analogs using high-moisture extrusion. We produced six samples using varying recipes, while maintaining constant process parameters. An untrained panel (55 participants) evaluated the samples for key sensory attributes (check-all-that-apply) and rated their pleasantness. The water absorption capacity and mechanical properties of the samples were assessed using instrumental measurements. The samples were frequently described as 'beany' and 'tasteless', but very rarely as 'bitter'. The most frequently cited attributes for mouthfeel varied between the samples containing 30% ('tough', 'gummy') and 50% ('crumbly', 'floury') of faba bean flour/groat and were associated with corresponding mechanical properties. On average, the sample containing a blend of faba bean groat and pea protein isolate (50% each) appeared to be the most pleasant. Our results suggest that faba bean groat with pea protein isolate enables the production of fibrous meat analogs with acceptable taste and texture, without the bitter off-taste.

Five-minute exposure to a novel appetitive food substance is sufficient time for a microRNA-dependent long-term memory to form.

The Garcia effect is a unique form of conditioned taste aversion which requires that a novel food stimulus be followed sometime later by a sickness state associated with the novel food stimulus. The long-lasting associative memory resulting from the Garcia effect ensures that organisms avoid toxic foods in their environment. Considering its ecological relevance, we sought to investigate whether a brief encounter (5 min) with a novel, appetitive food stimulus can cause a persisting long-term memory (LTM) to form that would in turn block the Garcia effect in Lymnaea stagnalis. Furthermore, we wanted to explore whether that persisting LTM could be modified by the alteration of microRNAs via an injection of poly-L-lysine (PLL), an inhibitor of Dicer-mediated microRNA biogenesis. The Garcia effect procedure involved two observations of feeding behavior in carrot separated by a heat stress (30 °C for 1 h). Exposing snails to carrot for 5 min caused a LTM to form and persist for 1 week, effectively preventing the Garcia effect in snails. In contrast, PLL injection following the 5-min carrot exposure impaired LTM formation, allowing the Garcia effect to occur. These results provide more insight into LTM formation and the Garcia effect, an important survival mechanism.

The effects of augmented reality on consumer responses in mobile shopping: The moderating role of task complexity.

Augmented reality (AR) solutions help facilitate consumers' direct examinations, enhancing their shopping experiences in the digital commerce context. This study examines consumer responses to AR in mobile shopping. It investigates the relationships among perceived media richness, interactivity, telepresence, utilitarian and hedonic values, and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, it explores whether these relationships differ depending on consumers' perceived task complexity. A total of 279 mobile application users participated in the online survey. The participants were guided to answer an online questionnaire after utilizing an AR mobile application to purchase a jewelry product. The findings reveal that media richness and interactivity positively influence telepresence, and telepresence increases behavioral intentions through perceived utilitarian and hedonic values. The effect of interactivity on telepresence and the impact of telepresence on utilitarian value are higher for consumers with low task complexity perception. By contrast, the impact of telepresence on hedonic value is higher for consumers with high task complexity perception. The results suggest practical implications for mobile retailers that apply advanced AR technology in retailing.

Continuance intention to use artificial intelligence personal assistant: type, gender, and use experience.

This study aims to identify the key predictors that affect the continuance intention of artificial intelligence personal assistant (AIPA). It proposes the theoretical framework which employs utilitarian value, hedonic value, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, novelty value, perceived enjoyment, and parasocial interaction. Data was collected from 257 users of artificial intelligence personal assistants. This study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the empirical data. The results show that utilitarian value and hedonic value are significantly correlated with continuance intention. The findings reveal that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, novelty value have a significant effect on utilitarian value. The analysis results indicate that novelty value, perceived enjoyment, and parasocial interaction are significantly associated with hedonic value. The current study conducted multi-group analysis according to the AIPA type, gender, and use experience. The results of this study will be a useful guideline for research and business on AIPA.

Dataset for the electronic customer relationship management based on S-O-R model in electronic commerce.

Customer loyalty is difficult to establish because of the danger of online transactions, which causes risk in all transaction procedures. The dataset presents the survey data including three factors as electronic loyalty, perceived mental benefits, hedonic value. The quantitative data is based on 485 participants who bought from e-commerce websites. SmartPLS 3.7 software analyzed the survey collected data in three stages: measurement model evaluation (scale reliability and scale validity); structural model assessment (collinearity issues, the significance and relevance of the structural model relationships, coefficient of determination, effect size, and predictive relevance); and mediator analysis. Aside from confirming the Stimulus - Organism - Response (SOR) model in the relationships between perceived mental benefits, hedonic value, and electronic loyalty; moreover, this data revealed that hedonic value had a mediating effect on the relationship between electronic loyalty and perceived mental benefits in the electronic customer relationship management.

Acceptance of online distance learning (ODL) among students: Mediating role of utilitarian and hedonic value.

Nowadays, the teaching methods are changed from offline to online primarily for the advent of the internet facility. The Industrial Revolution 4.0 ("Education 4.0") stresses offering online courses at the university level. The study aims to find out the factors influencing students' intentions to admit to online distance learning courses. In addition, the study wanted to establish the utilitarian and hedonic value construct in mediating the association between attitude and intention. Based on an intensive literature survey, an extended Technology Acceptance Model was proposed including some cognitive and technology-specific factors to test empirically. This is a quantitative study with an exploratory and descriptive scope and cross-sectional design. The information was gathered by applying the convenience sampling method from 293 Malaysian students who participated in anonymous surveys. The obtained data were analyzed using structural equation modeling applying AMOS 21 version. The study reveals that hedonic value, utilitarian value, perceived ease of use, and attitude except for perceived usefulness, affect behavioral intention to accept online distance learning courses except for perceived usefulness construct. The antecedents of utilitarian value are perceived fees, attitude, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, whereas the antecedents of hedonic value are perceived fees, attitude, and perceived usefulness, except for perceived ease of use. Finally, self-efficacy affects perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude towards joining online distance learning courses. This study's conclusions will benefit all stakeholders in the education system who are considering or have already adopted e-learning.

Understanding Risk Perception toward Food Safety in Street Food: The Relationships among Service Quality, Values, and Repurchase Intention.

This paper aims to identify service quality dimensions of street food that have an impact on utilitarian and hedonic values and to determine the effect of utilitarian and hedonic values on repurchase intention. It also examines the moderating effect of risk perception toward street food safety on the relationship between service quality and perceived value. An Internet survey was performed in Korea with 285 respondents. The results confirmed that the five dimensions of street food's service quality-food quality, employee service, physical environment, price, and rapidity of service-had positive impacts on utilitarian and hedonic values. All perceived value (utilitarian, hedonic) has an impact on repurchase intention. Finally, the food quality of street food showed a stronger influence on utilitarian value among the low-risk perception group than the high-risk perception group depending on the consumers' level of awareness of food safety. This provides new insights for marketing strategies to attract domestic/foreign consumers to street food vendors and for creating a new food culture by emphasizing important domains of service quality, the relation of quality to consumer values, and risk perception toward food safety in street food.

When symmetric and curved visual contour meet intentional instructions: Hedonic value and preference.

Symmetry and contour take part in shaping visual preference. However, less is known about their combined contribution to preference. We examined the hedonic tone and preference triggered by the interaction of symmetry and contour. Symmetric/curved, symmetric/sharp-angled, asymmetric/curved, and asymmetric/sharp-angled stimuli were presented in an implicit and explicit task. The implicit task consisted of an affective stimulus-response compatibility task where participants matched the stimuli with positive and negative valence response cues. The explicit task recorded liking ratings from the same stimuli. We used instructed mindset to induce participants to focus on symmetry or contour in different parts of the experimental session. We found an implicit compatibility of symmetry and curvature with positive hedonic tone. Explicit results showed preference for symmetry and curvature. In both tasks, symmetry and curvature showed a cumulative interaction, with a larger contribution of symmetry to the overall effect. While symmetric and asymmetric stimuli contributed to the implicit positive valence of symmetry, the effect of curvature was mainly caused by inclination towards curved contours rather than rejection of sharp-angled contours. We did not find any correlation between implicit and explicit measures, suggesting that they may involve different cognitive processing.

The effects of voluntary adolescent alcohol consumption on alcohol taste reactivity in Long Evans rats.

RATIONALE: The relationship between age, ethanol intake, and the hedonic value of ethanol is key to understanding the motivation to consume ethanol. OBJECTIVE: It is uncertain whether ethanol drinking during adolescence changes ethanol's hedonic value into adulthood. METHODS: The current study compared voluntary intermittent ethanol consumption (IAE; 2-bottle choice; 20%v/v) among adolescent and adult Long-Evans rats to examine the effects of age and IAE on taste reactivity in adulthood. For taste reactivity, orally infused fluids included water, ethanol (5, 20, and 40%v/v), and sucrose (0.01, 0.1, 1M). RESULTS: IAE results indicate that adolescents drank more ethanol during IAE but had a lower rate of change in ethanol consumption across time than adults due to initially high adolescent drinking. During taste reactivity testing for ethanol, IAE rats had greater hedonic responding, less aversive responding, and a more positive relationship between hedonic responses and ethanol concentration than water-receiving control rats. Hedonic responses had positive, while aversive responses had negative relationships with ethanol concentration and total ethanol consumed during IAE. Adolescent+IAE rats displayed less hedonic and more aversive responses to ethanol than Adult+IAE rats. Sucrose responding was unrelated to ethanol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ethanol consumption influences the future hedonic and aversive value of ethanol in a way that makes ethanol more palatable with greater prior consumption. However, it appears that those drinking ethanol as adolescents may be more resistant to this palatability shift than those first drinking as adults, suggesting different mechanisms of vulnerability to consumption escalation for adolescents and adults.

On linking socioeconomic status to consumer willingness to buy and pay for organic food.

This paper aims to examine the association between the consumer's socioeconomic status and the consumption of organic food. A conceptual model developed in this paper provides a more detailed understating of how socioeconomic status can, through the perceived values of organic food, influence the willingness to buy and to pay. A sample of 384 consumers of organic food in Tunisia were interviewed using convenience sampling. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of the proposed conceptual model. The socioeconomic status of consumers (education, occupation and income) was found to be an important predictor of perceived organic food values (utilitarian and hedonic). While utilitarian value had a stronger influence on the willingness to pay, hedonic value proved more influential on the willingness to buy. This paper is one of the earliest studies of its kind, which focused on the association between socioeconomic status and organic consumption. Findings have provided clear ways for practitioners to segment their markets on the basis of the socioeconomic status of consumers.

Odor hedonics coding in the vertebrate olfactory bulb.

Whether an odorant is perceived as pleasant or unpleasant (hedonic value) governs a range of crucial behaviors: foraging, escaping danger, and social interaction. Despite its importance in olfactory perception, little is known regarding how odor hedonics is represented and encoded in the brain. Here, we review recent findings describing how odorant hedonic value is represented in the first olfaction processing center, the olfactory bulb. We discuss how olfactory bulb circuits might contribute to the coding of innate and learned odorant hedonics in addition to the odorant's physicochemical properties.

Exploring the Relationship Between Social Commerce Features and Consumers' Repurchase Intentions: The Mediating Role of Perceived Value.

The popularity of social media, such as WeChat and Weibo in China, has provided an opportunity to develop social commerce. Although shopping through social commerce platforms is widely favored by consumers, the factors affecting consumers' decision-making behavior in the social commerce environment remain unclear. Therefore, from the perspective of the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, we construct a consumer repurchase decision model in the social commerce environment and analyze the influencing mechanism of social commerce features (interactivity, recommendations, and feedback) on perceived value (utilitarian value and hedonic value) and consumers' repurchase intention. The empirical results found that social commerce features are positively related to the generation of perceived value, which in turn drives consumers to form repurchase intentions. We also found some mediating effects of perceived value. The study's conclusions clarify the intrinsic influence mechanism of social commerce features on consumers' perceived value and repurchase intentions. In addition, it can provide some theoretical guidance for future research and business.

Adolescent ethanol exposure and differential rearing environment affect taste reactivity to ethanol in rats.

The identification and characterization of variables that influence "liking" and enhance vulnerability to repeated alcohol use are vital to understanding and treating alcohol use disorders. In the current study, we explore the influence of rearing environment and experimenter-administered adolescent ethanol on the hedonic value of ethanol, sucrose, and quinine. Male and female rats were reared for 30 days starting at postnatal day (PND) 21 in either an enriched, isolated, or standard condition and received 1.5 g/kg (intraperitoneally [i.p.]) 20% (w/v) ethanol or saline every other day for 12 days starting at PND 28. Thereafter, all rats had indwelling intraoral fistulae implanted and their taste reactivities to water, ethanol (5, 10, 20, 30, 40% v/v), sucrose (0.1, 0.25, 0.5 M), and quinine (0.1, 0.5 mM) were recorded and analyzed. Results indicated that enrichment elevated hedonic responding to sucrose compared to isolation, and induced a stronger negative relationship between hedonic responding and ethanol concentration compared to standard conditions. Enrichment also elevated aversive responding to ethanol and quinine compared to both isolated and standard condition rats. Adolescent ethanol injections marginally reduced aversive responding to quinine. These results replicate previous findings that environmental enrichment enhances both "liking" and aversion. In addition, the current findings suggest that, while adolescent ethanol injections may blunt aversive responses to quinine, they have no effect on aversive or hedonic responding to ethanol or sucrose. Together with existing literature, our results may suggest that experience with the taste of ethanol is necessary for alterations to ethanol "liking" and aversion.

Perception of Advertisements for Healthy Food on Social Media: Effect of Attitude on Consumers' Response.

The growing concern for health is currently a global trend, so promoting healthy products is an opportunity that companies can exploit to differentiate their products in highly competitive markets. The purpose of this research is to examine the antecedents of social media advertising value and their consequences for attitudes to healthy food and intentions to consume it, in a representative sample of Spanish consumers. The theory of Ducoffe's advertising value model was used as a conceptual framework for the antecedents of attitudes based on utilitarian and hedonic values. To achieve this objective, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out based on primary data from a survey of a representative sample of the Spanish population with 2023 valid questionnaires. The Partial Least Square (PLS) method was applied to test the hypothesized relationships and predictive variables. The result of this research allows us to determine which variables influence the consumer's response, as measured by intention, motivated by the consumer's attitude to the value of healthy food, as influenced by the advertising value on social networks. Furthermore, the findings show that, for advertising healthy food on social networks to be valuable, it must be credible and richly informative.

Pleasantness of Binary Odor Mixtures: Rules and Prediction.

Pleasantness is a major dimension of odor percepts. While naturally encountered odors rely on mixtures of odorants, few studies have investigated the rules underlying the perceived pleasantness of odor mixtures. To address this issue, a set of 222 binary mixtures based on a set of 72 odorants were rated by a panel of 30 participants for odor intensity and pleasantness. In most cases, the pleasantness of the binary mixtures was driven by the pleasantness and intensity of its components. Nevertheless, a significant pleasantness partial addition was observed in 6 binary mixtures consisting of 2 components with similar pleasantness ratings. A mathematical model, involving the pleasantness of the components as well as τ-values reflecting components' odor intensity, was applied to predict mixture pleasantness. Using this model, the pleasantness of mixtures including 2 components with contrasted intensity and pleasantness could be efficiently predicted at the panel level (R2 > 0.80, Root Mean Squared Error < 0.67).

Differential rearing alters taste reactivity to ethanol, sucrose, and quinine.

RATIONALE: Early-life environment influences reinforcer and drug motivation in adulthood; however, the impact on specific components of motivation, including hedonic value ("liking"), remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: The current study determined whether differential rearing alters liking and aversive responding to ethanol, sucrose, and quinine in an ethanol-naïve rat model. METHODS: Male and female rats were reared for 30 days starting at postnatal day 21 in either an enriched (EC), isolated (IC), or standard condition (SC). Thereafter, all rats had indwelling intraoral fistulae implanted and their taste reactivity to water, ethanol (5, 10, 20, 30, 40% v/v), sucrose (0.1, 0.25, 0.5 M), and quinine (0.1, 0.5 mM) was recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: EC rats had higher amounts of liking responses to ethanol, sucrose, and quinine and higher amounts of aversive responses to ethanol and quinine compared to IC rats. While EC and IC rats' responses were different from each other, they both tended to be similar to SCs, who fell in between the EC and IC groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that environmental enrichment may enhance sensitivity to a variety of tastants, thereby enhancing liking, while isolation may dull sensitivity, thereby dulling liking. Altogether, the evidence suggests that isolated rats have a shift in the allostatic set-point which may, in part, drive increased responding for a variety of rewards including ethanol and sucrose. Enriched rats have enhanced liking of both sucrose and ethanol suggesting that enrichment may offer a unique phenotype with divergent preferences for incentive motivation.

Central taste anatomy and physiology.

The gustatory system contributes to the flavor of foods and beverages and communicates information about nutrients and poisons. This system has evolved to detect and ultimately respond to hydrophilic molecules dissolved in saliva. Taste receptor cells, located in taste buds and distributed throughout the oral cavity, activate nerve afferents that project to the brainstem. From here, information propagates to thalamic, subcortical, and cortical areas, where it is integrated with information from other sensory systems and with homeostatic, visceral, and affective processes. There is considerable divergence, as well as convergence, of information between multiple regions of the central nervous system that interact with the taste pathways, with reciprocal connections occurring between the involved regions. These widespread interactions among multiple systems are crucial for the perception of food. For example, memory, hunger, satiety, and visceral changes can directly affect and can be affected by the experience of tasting. In this chapter, we review the literature on the central processing of taste with a specific focus on the anatomic and physiologic responses of single neurons. Emphasis is placed on how information is distributed along multiple systems with the goal of better understanding how the rich and complex sensations associated with flavor emerge from large-scale, systems-wide, interactions.

Anhedonia following mild traumatic brain injury in rats: A behavioral economic analysis of positive and negative reinforcement.

Psychiatric disorders affect nearly 50% of individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Anhedonia is a major symptom of numerous psychiatric disorders and is a diagnostic criterion for depression. It has recently been appreciated that reinforcement may be separated into consummatory (hedonic), motivational and decisional components, all of which may be affected differently in disease. Although anhedonia is typically assessed using positive reinforcement, the importance of stress in psychopathology suggests the study of negative reinforcement (removal or avoidance of aversive events) may be equally important. The present study investigated positive and negative reinforcement following a rat model of mild TBI (mTBI) using lateral fluid percussion. Hedonic value and motivation for reinforcement was determined by behavioral economic analyses. Following mTBI, the hedonic value of avoiding foot shock was reduced. In contrast, the hedonic value of escaping foot shock or obtaining a sucrose pellet was not altered by mTBI. Moreover, motivation to avoid or escape foot shock or to acquire sucrose was not altered by mTBI. Our results suggest that individuals experiencing mTBI find avoidance of aversive events less reinforcing, and therefore are less apt to utilize proactive control of stress.

Facilitation and retardation of flavor preference conditioning following prior exposure to the flavor conditioned stimulus.

In two experiments, rats received pairings of an almond flavor (Experiments 1 and 2B) or a vanilla flavor (Experiment 2A) with sucrose. In each experiment, half of the rats received prior exposure to the flavor and half were exposed to water. Conditioned preference was then assessed through two-bottle, flavor versus water, choice tests. Latent inhibition (indicated by a weaker preference in pre-exposed subjects) was observed in the experiment using the vanilla flavor. However, facilitation (a stronger preference in pre-exposed subjects) instead of latent inhibition was evident with the almond flavor, both across acquisition trials and in the final choice test. These results indicate that, unlike most other paradigms of Pavlovian conditioning, conditioned stimulus pre-exposure in flavor preference learning may either facilitate or retard the acquisition (or the expression) of a conditioned flavor preference. We explore the proposal that the critical difference between the flavors lies in their hedonic values, with facilitation being more likely in a flavor that is initially disliked.