The Crunch Effect: Food Sound Salience as a Consumption Monitoring Cue

Keywords

audition, sensory, intrinsic cues, consumer behavior, advertising

Abstract

While a growing body of research explores the impact of normative and environmental extrinsic factors on food consumption quantity, less attention is given to the intrinsic cues, or sensory properties, of the food being consumed. Our research contributes to this growing literature by examining the effect of food sound salience (i.e., the sound that a food makes during mastication) on consumption quantity. Specifically, we show that increased attention to the sound the food makes, or food sound salience, may serve as a consumption monitoring cue leading to reduced consumption. Across three studies, we show a consistent negative relationship between the salience of a food’s sound and food intake. Our research highlights the importance of intrinsic auditory food cues on consumption. Our findings are valuable to both researchers interested in understanding how sensory cues are connected to consumption and marketers utilizing sound in their communications to consumers.

Original Publication Citation

Elder, Ryan S. & Gina S. Mohr (2016), “The Crunch Effect: Food Sound Salience as a Consumption Monitoring Cue,” Food Quality and Preference, 51(July), 39-46.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2016

Publisher

Food Quality and Preference

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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