Cookie Taste Test Instructions

In her book Tainted Truth (Simon and Schuster, 1994)

Cynthia Crossen quotes Robert Pitofsky (former head of

the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer

Products):  "In markets where product claims are viewed

with utter suspicion high price is adopted as an

 indication of quality, and price competition and

 product improvement become economically irrational."

Crossen's point is that with many products we are bombarded with many claims of high quality, often bolstered by questionable "studies." We have devised an experiment to see if, for commercially available chocolate chip cookies, price translates into quality.

 The experiment will be run this way. We randomly assign each of the cookie brands to a brown bag with letters A - E.  Before class We  put cookie pieces of about the same size (halves or thirds depending on the size of the cookie) in the bags in sufficient quantities.

Two students will assist in the classroom work.  We will pass out to each student a paper plate that the students divided in geometric sectors with letters A, ...,E.  Then we will pass bags up and down rows and everyone will put a cookie shard of each letter on their plate in the proper sector.

We emphasize to you the importance of not colluding with their neighbors and essentially being quiet and taking the activity seriously.We will give each of the sectors of the room a different order to taste in --just ABCDE, cycled around the room -- to avoid any order effect. You are then allowed to go back and retaste any cookies as often as you like. Examine the rating sheet attached. The class is to rate on different factors, and chose on a 1-5 scale (as in Consumer Reports).

SAMPLE COOKIE DATA SHEET

Your filling out of this form indicates consent to participate in the experiment.

     NAME:____________________

     1. I buy a package of commercial chocolate chip cookies on the average about:

(a) once per week, (b) less than once a week but at least once per month (c) less than once per month       (CIRCLE ONE)

     2. My preferred brand of chocolate chip cookies is:  (Put "no preference" if appropriate).

____________________________________

     3. I am MALE  FEMALE  (CIRCLE ONE)

     RATINGS (CIRCLE) according to:

     P = poor( 1)   F = fair (2)   G = good (3)  VG = Very good (4)  E = excellent (5)

     ID     Taste               Texture             Appearance       Overall

     A    1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5 ______ 1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5

     B   1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5 ______ 1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5

     C   1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5 ______ 1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5

     D   1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5 ______ 1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5

     E   1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5 ______ 1 2 3 4 5 ____ 1 2 3 4 5