Baseline adjustment in emotion CATA questions: Addressing the bias of initial emotional states and emotional carryover

Journal article

Consumers' baseline emotional states prior to food evaluation may influence their subsequent emotional responses, yet this factor is rarely considered in food-related emotional research using Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) measurement. This study incorporated baseline emotion questions prior to each sample tasting to investigate whether baseline states influence CATA responses and how baseline states change during sequential tasting. A within-subjects design was employed to compare emotional responses with and without baseline measurement across two independent studies involving different food matrices: yogurt (n = 134) and shrimp sticks (n = 129). Emotional carryover was confirmed, with sample-to-baseline associations consistently exceeding baseline-to-sample associations. Baseline adjustment revealed directional emotional changes: for example, an unsweetened yogurt that appeared to barely elicit ‘Joyful’ (0.7%) under the none-baseline method was shown to significantly suppress joyfulness (−21.6%) after sample baseline adjustment. While baseline adjustment reduced the number of significant emotions among samples, it enhanced estimation precision and, in one study, facilitated the detection of certain negative emotions (e.g., ‘Disgusted’, ‘Guilty’), without increasing perceived task difficulty. A slight reduction in overall liking was observed in one study, though relative hedonic differences among samples remained undistorted. These findings confirm the necessity of considering baseline states for accurate emotional responses using CATA measurement. However, baseline adjustment is not a universal replacement for conventional practices, but a valuable targeted supplement for research focused on directional emotional change or the alleviation of negative emotional states.

Authors: Song, J; Xia, Y; Spence, C; Wang, Z; Qu, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Food Research International More from this journal
• Volume: 245
• Issue: P3
• Article number: 120714
• Publication date: 2026-09-21
• Acceptance date: 2026-09-06
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.120714
• EISSN: 1873-7145
• ISSN: 0963-9969
• Language: English
• Keywords: emotional response; baseline emotion; check-all-that-apply; negative emotions; emotional carryover