The implicit sensory association test (ISAT): A measurement approach for sensory perception

Abstract

In the field of sensory marketing, implicit consumer information processing plays an important role because a large proportion of sensory stimuli is perceived unconsciously. Current consumer research calls for integrative models that consider both unconscious and conscious processes. This paper introduces the implicit sensory association test (ISAT)—a novel response latency measurement approach for implicit sensory perception. The ISAT provides a counterpart to the recently developed measurement approach for explicit sensory perception based on the sensory perception item set. Thus, the ISAT enables the measurement of all five sensory dimensions (i.e., implicit visual, acoustic, haptic, olfactory, and gustatory perception). In three studies, we provide empirical evidence that the ISAT measures (1) are valid and reliable, (2) show highly significant relationships with essential marketing-related outcome variables, and (3) can give valuable insights in addition to explicit measures, finding both positive and negative relationships between implicit and explicit sensory perception.