Same-Different

Same-Different

Introduction

During a Same-Different test, each panellist is presented with two (equal or different) products or samples. The panellist must state whether the products are equal or different. This method is used to determine whether a sensory difference exists between two products, particularly when these are unsuitable for triple or multiple presentations.

Template Description

The template starts with a screen giving instructions to panellists. In the design section, the first screen has instructions, followed by a question where participants can indicate whether the two presented samples are either the same or different. The question type used is a different or similar question type, and the default anchors are the same (left side) and different (right side). You can decide to change the wording of the anchor in the standard settings of this question type. 
After choosing the answer, panellists can add comments.
On 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 sample, with each set corresponding to a specific order of presentation for an individual panellist. The test employs a block design, presenting two samples simultaneously to the panelists.

Raw Data Representation

The raw data will be displayed, with each row corresponding to an individual judge and the pair of products they were presented with. The data will be stored to indicate whether the panellists correctly identified that the samples were different or the same. If the answer is incorrect, the data will be recorded as a 0, whereas if the panellists answer correctly, the data will be recorded as a 1. The Q1_info column provides additional information about the products presented to the panellists. 
  1. If the panellist was presented with two identical products and answered “Same” the result will be recorded as 1-1. 
  2. If the panellist was presented with two identical products and answered “Different” the result will be recorded as 1~1. 
  3. If the panellist was presented with two different products and answered “Different” the result will be recorded as 1~2. 
  4. If the panellist was presented with two different products and answered “Same” the result will be recorded as 1-2. 

Analysis

Once data has been gathered, you can access EyeOpenR and navigate to the Discrimination methods. Choose the analysis “Same-Different” to examine your results. Additional details about this analysis can be found in the following article: 

References

  1. Lawless, H. T., & Heymann, H. (2010)

    • Related Articles

    • Different From Control

      Introduction The difference-from-control test is used to quantify differences between a tested sample and a control sample. This method is particularly applicable when comparing products with a single sensory attribute or only a few varying sensory ...
    • Discrimination Analyses Overview

      Overview Difference tests are the fundamental and most frequently used methods in sensory and consumer research. The most important questions difference tests must answer are: do various products differ from each other? And does the consumer detect ...
    • Discrimination Test Settings - Pd and d' Analysis

      Purpose Establish the power of a discrimination test given a set sample size or to calculate the sample size required to get a desired power. This can be done specifying the expected difference as a proportion of discriminators (Pd) or as a ...
    • Tetrad

      Introduction The Tetrad method is a testing procedure designed to understand the presence of a perceptible sensory distinction between two products. Panelists are given four samples, with two being identical and two being different. The panellists ...
    • A/NOT A

      Introduction In sensory testing, A-not-A tests are used to evaluate the sensory discrimination ability of individuals when presented with different products. Panelists are typically provided with a single sample (A or Not A) and tasked with ...