Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

Take a Taste Test
1. Taste Bud Count
Punch a hole with a standard hole punch in a square of wax paper. Paint the front of your 
tongue with a cotton swab dipped in blue food coloring. Put wax paper on the tip of your 
tongue, just to the right of center. With a flashlight and magnifying glass, count the number
of pink, unstained circles. They contain taste buds.
2. Sweet Taste
Rinse your mouth with water before tasting each sample. Put ½ cup sugar in a measuring 
cup, and then add enough water to make I cup. Mix. Coat front half of your tongue,
including the tip, with a cotton swab dipped in the solution. Wait a few moments. Rate the 
sweetness according to the scale shown below.
3. Salt Taste 
Put 2 teaspoons of salt in a measuring cup and add enough water to make I cup. Repeat the 
steps listed above, rating how salty the solution is.
4. Spicy Taste 
Add I teaspoon of Tabasco sauce to I cup of water. Apply with a cotton swab to first ½ inch 
of the tongue, including the tip. Keep your tongue out of your mouth until the burn reaches 
a peak, then rate the burn according to the scale.
SUPERTASTERS 
NONTASTERS
Number of taste buds
25 on Average
10
Sweet rating
56 on Average
32
Tabasco 
64 on Average
31
Average tasters lie in between supertasters and nontasters. Bartoshuk and Lucchina lack the 
data at this time to rate salt reliably, but you can compare your results with others taking the 
test.
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