QUESTIONNAIRE PRACTICE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE JAR SCALE IS PLACED BETWEEN TWO “OVERALL” ACCEPTANCE SCALES?

ABSTRACT

Using the observational analysis of two different foods as test products, this note examined some interesting findings that emerge when the just‐about‐right (JAR) scale was placed after the overall liking rating, and before the preference ranking. The JAR data appeared to be statistically uncorrelated with the overall rating scales. First, this fortuitous observation from several studies suggests that the JAR scale can play a diagnostic role to determine how the consumer feels about changing the product. Second, the statistical analysis of the JAR ratings (e.g., bipolar nature of the JAR scale, its skewness and kurtosis) all suggest that the appropriate measure is %JAR, an incidence metric, rather than scale average, ought to be used both to report the results, and to create models relating to the JAR versus sensory magnitude or versus liking, respectively.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The results of the present analysis suggest that overall acceptance/liking can be the last question in the questionnaire design. That location is very important for the sensory analysis of foods eaten over time and then rated, as well as personal care and cosmetic studies where the products are used over time periods, and where the true evaluation of performance ought to be made at the end of the trial. In these long‐term uses, overall liking is generally the last question given at the end of the time period of product evaluation. The facts that the just‐about‐right (JAR) scales are independent of this final overall liking rating suggest that the integrity of the overall evaluation and usefulness of JAR as diagnostics will not be compromised.     

Species-Recognition in the Field Cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus: Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms

SYNOPSIS. Field crickets depend on acoustic organs to detectthe presence of potential predators as well as conspecific crickets.Predators are recognized largely on the basis of spectral frequenciesthat are contained in their acoustic signals. Puffs of air andvery low frequencies activate a cricket's cereal receptors andultrasonic frequencies activate their tympanal organs. Bothof these acoustic stimuli release "escape behavior," in theform of evasive movements. An identified neuron sensitive toultrasound is described. Crickets recognize singing conspecificsby both frequency and temporal properties of cricket songs;however species recognition requires specific temporal informationin calling songs. While previous studies have emphasized therole of songs on female behavior, males also recognize conspecificsongs; sexual differences in recognition behavior occur.     

Concanavalin A inhibits Tumour Cell Migration

PHYTOAGGLUTININS such as the jack bean protein concanavalin A (Con A)¹ promise to be of value in investigating some of the alterations of cell membrane structure which accompany malignant transformation². We have observed that Con A in sub-agglutinating amounts inhibits the migration of tumour cells. This provides a sensitive method for assessing the Con A reactivity with different cell types.     

Climate warming causes phenological shift in Pink Salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, behavior at Auke Creek, Alaska

Thirty‐four years (1972–2005) of water temperature data and extensive biological observations at Auke Creek, Alaska indicate a general warming trend that affected the native pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) population. Serial environmental records at nearby Auke Bay, Alaska over 46 years show trends of increasing air and sea surface temperatures. Trends of increased total precipitation and earlier date of ice out on nearby Auke Lake also occurred, but not at significant rates. Average water temperatures during the incubation of pink salmon in Auke Creek increased at a rate of 0.03 °C yr^?1 over the 34‐year period. For the 1972–2005 broods, midpoints of fry migrations from Auke Creek ranged between April 2 and May 7, and there was a trend of earlier migration of pink salmon fry at a rate of ? 0.5 days yr^?1. The migration timing of adult salmon into Auke Creek also showed a trend toward earlier timing. The earlier adult migration combined with warmer incubation temperatures are related to earlier migration of pink salmon fry. If the observed warming trend continues, Auke Creek may become unsuitable habitat for pink salmon. Given the trend for salmon fry to migrate earlier, a larger portion of the population may become mismatched with optimum environmental conditions during their early marine life history. If salmon adults continue to migrate into the creek earlier when water temperatures are commonly high, it will result in increased prespawning mortality.