Check All That Apply (CATA)

Check All That Apply (CATA)

Introduction

The "Check-All-That-Apply" (CATA) method is utilized in sensory evaluation to collect information regarding the sensory characteristics of a product. In this method, participants are presented with a predetermined list of sensory attributes and are instructed to mark all the attributes they perceive in the product being assessed. 
Research demonstrates that CATA is a reliable and consistent method for characterizing sensory aspects of products by consumers, producing results akin to those obtained through traditional descriptive analysis.

Template Description

The template starts with a screen which can be used for welcoming panellists or asking additional questions prior to the test. 

Within the design section, a single screen showcases the CATA-question. Although the CATA-question comes pre-filled, you have the option to adjust the attributes within the question settings, either increasing or decreasing them. In the default settings, there's an option to randomize the answering choices. However, the "other" and "none" options remain fixed and consistently appear as the last two choices in the list of attributes. Additionally, you can customize the minimum and maximum number of selections according to their preferences within the standard settings.

In the end screen, the template incorporates a thank-you message, providing an opportunity for you to personalize a final message for the panellists. 

Within the design settings, you can examine how each panellist will receive the samples, with each set corresponding to a specific order of presentation for an individual panellist. The test employs a monadic design, presenting three samples after each other to the panelists. The order of presentation is randomized across all sets/panellists. 

Raw Data Representation

The raw data will be displayed with each row corresponding to an individual judge and product that they evaluated. Each Q1_X column represents an attribute. The data will be stored per attribute, when the panellist has chosen the attribute for that specific product  a 1 is recorded. When the attribute is not chosen a 0 is recorded.   

Analysis

Once data has been collected, you can enter EyeOpenR and select the Sensory or Consumer analyses. The Cochran and McNemar test (CATA) and Correspondence Analysis (CATA) can be used to conduct analyses on the collected data. For more information, see the following articles:
  1. https://support.eyequestion.nl/portal/en/kb/articles/cochran-and-mcnemar-test-cata
  2. https://support.eyequestion.nl/portal/en/kb/articles/correspondence-analysis-cata-and-categorical-data

References

  1. Adams, J., Williams, A., Lancaster, B., & Foley, M. (2007). Advantages and uses of check-all-that-apply response compared to traditional scaling of attributes for salty snacks. In the 7th Pangborn sensory science symposium (Vol. 16).
  2. Kemp, S., Hort, J., & Hollowood, T. Descriptive Analysis in Sensory Evaluation (2018). Chapter 17, page 581-582 

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