time to finish. Therefore, we offer a reward drink! You may choose
a larger size of bubble tea (a very popular beverage in Taiwan and
overseas Chinese communities). Please indicate the amount of
sugar and ice for your bubble tea on the order sheet. Your beverage
will arrive before you leave.’’ The dependent variable was the
amount of sugar chosen for the reward drink (0: sugar free, 1: a
little, 2: half the norm, 3: slightly less than the norm, 4: the norm).
Later, participants were asked to help a taste task. We modified
the comparative taste test developed by Briers, Pandelaere, Dewitte,
and Warlop (2006) and substituted nougats, a popular local
snack in Taiwan, for M&Ms. Participants were given two bowls
containing the same volume of nougats, one containing the regular
flavor (almond; 20 pieces, around 200 g) and the other containing
the new flavor (red bows; 20 pieces, around 200 g). They were
allowed to eat as many pieces as necessary to evaluate such characteristics
as flavor, oral experience, and sweetness of the two
types. The quantity consumed was measured covertly on a digital
scale after the experiment.
At the end of this experiment, participants reported on the time
since their last meal (h) and the number of daily weight-loss supplements
taken. Participants’ weight was measured on a digital
scale, and a stadiometer was used to measure height; BMI was also
calculated. Each participant received a funnel debriefing in which
the effectiveness of the manipulation and their ability to guess
the hypotheses were checked. All participants recognized the kind
of pills they took. None expressed any suspicion about the link
between supplement manipulation and the dependent measures.