V02-21

Question

Psychologists and marketers alike are aware that product labels can trigger brand loyalty and influence customers’ perceptions of quality. A recent experiment, however, goes beyond loyalty and suggests that expectation can alter the experience of taste itself.

In the experiment, 300 men and women tasted two versions of a beverage each - one a regular cola and the other the same cola with a few drops of white vinegar added. A prior survey had found that most cola drinkers thought vinegar would worsen the taste. Participants were told only that one of the beverages, called “cola extra,” contained an unspecified secret ingredient.

Researchers found that in a blind taste test of 100 people, 60 percent actually preferred the vinegar-enriched “cola extra.” A second group of 100 learned after they had tasted both beverages that vinegar was the secret ingredient; this group preferred “cola extra” by the same percentage. A final group was told before tasting that one of the colas contained vinegar - here, only about one-third of respondents favored “cola extra.”

These results echo earlier work in sensory neuroscience: functional-MRI studies show that when wine drinkers are told a bottle is expensive, activation in reward-related gustatory regions rises even though the wine is identical. Marketing researchers likewise observe that labeling chocolates or coffees as “premium” consistently heightens reported flavor intensity. Taken together, such findings suggest that expectation can penetrate beyond conscious belief and modulate the neural coding of taste.

Because the cola experiment sampled mostly habitual cola drinkers aged 18-35, future research should test other age groups and less familiar beverages to see whether the effect generalizes.

Which of the following would be the most logical first sentence for a paragraph that immediately follows the passage?

A. Consequently, marketers should begin advertising all new beverages as containing a mysterious “secret ingredient.”
B. These findings therefore call for follow-up studies that vary both age range and beverage familiarity to test whether the expectation effect truly generalizes.
C. Indeed, the experiment proves that neural imaging is required whenever researchers investigate subjective experiences such as taste.
D. Although vinegar is not traditionally used in soft-drink formulation, recent flavor-engineering breakthroughs make such combinations feasible.
E. By contrast, studies in visual perception indicate that expectation has no measurable influence on sensory processing.

nbharti · Answer

The last paragraph already says: "future research should test other age groups and less familiar beverages to see whether the effect generalizes".
Then what is the point in again starting a new paragraph with "These findings therefore call for follow-up studies that vary both age range and beverage familiarity to test whether the expectation effect truly generalizes."?

ischiragkapoor · Answer

Bunuel , I agree with  nbharti  statement, the reason I rejected B is the same. It just felt like repetition of the last sentence. Can you elaborate why still it holds up?

V02-21

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards