“…This was somewhat surprising, given that other studies of context saw changes in liking of samples with setting (Hein et al, 2010;Hein et al, 2012;Holthuyesen et al, 2017), however, it was also evident that samples were not highly liked by our panel in any condition, rating them around a 5 on the 9-point hedonic scale, or at around the point representing "neither like nor dislike." Hathaway and Simons (2017) reported similar observation in their cookie study: the rank order of the cookies with lower liking scores remained the same across the three environments tested (traditional sensory booth, mixed, and full immersion), while ranks switched among cookies with higher liking scores. At this level of liking, it may be more difficult to pick up small changes in liking induced by contextual shifts, as the 9-point hedonic scale performs somewhat unpredictably around the neutral category (Jones, Peryam, & Thurstone, 1955), with respondents more willing to use this non-committal scale point than commit to liking or disliking a sample (Gridgeman, 1961).…”