The influence of implied motion on expected taste perception of advertised foods: The mental simulation perspective

The expected taste perception of advertised food is crucial for consumers’ purchase decisions. However, it heavily relies on external food cues. The present study investigates how implied motion affects expected taste perception of food through three experiments, based on the mental simulation perspective. Experiment 1 showed that implied motion improved expected taste perception of advertised food through mental simulation. Experiment 2 found that the effect of implied motion on expected taste perception of advertised food was moderated by food valence. Specifically, for positively valenced food, implied motion improved expected taste perception, while for negatively valenced foods, implied motion worsened it. Experiment 3 focused on positively valenced food, and the results demonstrated that situational context moderated the effect of implied motion on expected taste perception through mental simulation. Situational context improved expected taste perception of advertised food without implied motion, but not of advertised food with implied motion.