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.