Expert and Peer Pressure in Food and Wine Tasting: Evidence from a Pilot Experiment
Year:
2008
Authors:
Paolo Buonanno (University of Bergamo, University of Padova, University of Brescia, University of London);
Giovanni Caggiano (University of Bergamo, University of Padova, University of Brescia, University of London);
Matteo Maria Galizzi (University of Bergamo, University of Padova, University of Brescia, University of London);
Leone Leonida (University of Bergamo, University of Padova, University of Brescia, University of London)
Abstract:
We investigate experimentally the role of experts and peer pressure on food and wine tasting, in order to assess whether individual blind tasting might be affected and biased by the judgements expressed either by peer reviewers or by experts.
We design and run a four-stages experiment in which 60 non-expert consumers are assigned to either a food or a wine treatment and, for either treatment, to a variant in which evaluation are announced either by peers or by experts. We find that, while peer pressure plays some role in food tasting, experts' opinions are significant in wine tasting.
Published in Review Enometrica, March 2008
