The paired preference test and the ‘No Preference’ option: was Odesky correct?

Abstract

After experimenting with questionnaires, Odesky had recommendations for eliminating ‘No Preference’ responses in a paired preference test. He concluded that, judges who had chosen the ‘No Preference’ option would, if forced to choose, express preferences in the same pattern as those who had actually expressed a preference. Using questionnaire, food and personal product stimuli, this conclusion was found to be commonly violated. Odesky’s recommendation, to ignore or distribute ‘No Preference’ responses in the same proportion as expressed preferences was sometimes seen to distort data, sometimes not, depending on relative response frequencies and extent of violation of his conclusion regarding forced preferences. When the number of ‘No Preference’ responses is not insignificantly small, to eliminate them, runs the risk of distortion of the overall pattern of preferences.