Psychology Class

This week, our Year 11 Psychology students participated in a thought-provoking experiment to enhance their understanding of gustatory perception—how we interpret taste. They were given three different drinks to sample, but what they didn’t know was that all the drinks were the same: sugar-free lemonade, with each one dyed a different color. Before revealing the truth, students recorded their thoughts on the flavor of each drink. Some students correctly guessed that the drinks were identical, merely colored differently, while others perceived significant differences in flavor. For example, some rated certain drinks as more sour or sweet than others, even though the drinks were exactly the same. 

This experiment provided an excellent demonstration of how color influences our brain and how top-down processing—where our expectations shape our perceptions—can affect taste. A red drink might have been perceived as sweeter, while a green one might be described as more bitter or sour, based purely on visual cues. On the other hand, bottom-up processing, driven by the actual sensory input from the taste buds, could have revealed the drinks were identical. The activity sparked a lively discussion on the interaction between sensory input and our brain’s expectations, offering students valuable insights into the complexity of perception and how easily our senses can be influenced.

-Zoe-May Gatt (Psychology Teacher)