TASTE MATCHING--GUSTATORY EQUIVALENCE CLASSES

最小数量的味道化合物（单独或混合）， 与任何其他溶液的味道相匹配的必要性是未知的。我定义 一组在味道上相互匹配的化合物， 类”。我建议为大多数 这项工作使用了一种叫做匹配的技术，这种技术很少被使用。 味觉心理物理学该方法提供了一个强大的工具， 我们对味觉系统的理解。具体 我会问一种化学溶液的味道是否可以 与另一种化学物质产生的味道无法区分 解决方案，通过改变强度和组成之一，同时举行的 其他常数这种心理物理学方法成功地描述了 色彩搭配的心理物理规律和色彩的数量决定 视觉编码途径为三（三色视觉）。平行假设 味觉（N-geusia）将建立一个识别和 描述了味觉匹配的心理物理规律， 识别编码信号的不同编码途径的数量， 品味品质如果所有有味道的物质的味道都包含一种或 四种品质中的更多，那么应该可以匹配化合物 有着复杂的味道，比如糖精， 和苦，与混合物的化合物，更纯粹的甜， 苦涩这个项目的最终目标是确定 不同的刺激会引发独特的味觉品质， 做，提高对人类品味的心理物理学的理解 感觉。

The minimal number of taste compounds (singly or mixed) that are necessary to match the taste of any other solution is not known. l define a group of compounds that match each other in taste as an "equivalence class". I propose to identify equivalence classes for the majority of this work using a technique called matching, which has seldom been used in taste psychophysics. This method provides a powerful tool to further our understanding of the organization of the taste system. Specifically I will ask whether the taste of one chemical solution may be rendered indistinguishable from the taste elicited by a different chemical solution by varying the strength and composition of one while holding the other constant. This psychophysical approach successfully described the psychophysical laws of color matching and determined the number of color vision coding pathways to be three (trichromacy). The parallel hypothesis for taste (N-geusia) will establish a framework for identifying and describing the psychophysical laws of taste matching and will also help identify the number of distinct coding pathways that encode signals for taste qualities. If the tastes of all sapid substances comprise one or more of the four qualities, then it should be possible to match compounds with complex tastes, like that of saccharin which is described as sweet and bitter, with mixtures of compounds that are more purely sweet and bitter. The ultimate ~goal of this project is to determine the extent to which different stimuli elicit unique qualities of taste, and in so doing, improve the understanding of the psychophysics of human taste sensation.