4.1. Validity of the Adapted Forced-Choice, Paired-Comparison Tracking Procedure in Determining Salt Taste Preference
The forced-choice, paired-comparison tracking procedure was originally developed to determine sweet taste preferences for adults [One major limitation in sensory research is that there is no consensus on salt-taste test procedures, which makes compairing results from one study to another difficult [Liking is commonly evaluated with Likert scales or visual analog scales (VAS) [Methods for assessing preference are highly variable, making comparisons across studies challenging, and limitations to these methods exist. For example, some studies ask participants to add salt into broth until the preferred concentration is achieved (e.g., [When comparing liking slopes and preferred concentration approaches in determining salt-taste liking, the liking slopes use multiple data points to describe a function, which provides a more comprehensive understanding of taste responses over a range of concentrations. This more holistic evaluation could explain why energy-corrected Na intake was associated with liking slope but not preferred concentration. Results from the present study suggest that if a researcher is attempting to predict sodium intake from taste hedonics, the slope of liking responses is the better choice.