Temporal methods: Are we comparing apples and oranges?

Abstract

A workshop held at the 2018 Sensometrics conference in Montevideo aimed at a data-based comparison between three temporal methods, namely Temporal Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA), Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS), and Temporal Dominance of Sensations by Modality (MTDS). Data on 8 yoghurts designed following a full-factorial design have been evaluated using the three protocols. In this paper, we compare the data obtained with regard to discriminative power and highlight potential pitfalls when making significance-based comparisons. TCATA is found to provide overall highest discrimination, while for special purposes, the other methods may have advantages. We further compare the dominance and selection rates from the methods, addressing the arbitrariness of necessary standardizations. Finally, we compare results from correspondence analyses with trajectories, showing noteworthy differences between the protocols. In the discussion, it is argued that a reasonable comparison between the methods might not be possible or even reasonable, as they address quite different concepts. Rather than being considered as alternatives for the same objective, they should better be considered as complimentary, addressing different project needs.