The effect of distractions while tasting a food sample: The interplay of informational and affective components in subsequent choice

This research examines the effect of distractions while sampling a food item on the subsequent choice of that item. Drawing upon research on pain, we present a two-component model, which predicts that distraction may decrease subsequent choices for the sampled item. The model asserts that the ultimate pleasure arising from the taste of a food sample depends on two components, one informational and the other affective. Further, the model proposes that distraction increases ( decreases) the impact on subsequent choice of the affective ( informational) component. We provide support for the two-component model from three experiments and rule out several alternative accounts.