A Study of Perceived Attributes of Asian Foods: Comparison of Implicit and Explicit Attitude Measures

A Study of Perceived Attributes of Asian Foods: Comparison of Implicit and Explicit Attitude Measures

The primary purposes of this study are to identify individual’s attitudes toward the two Asian foods (Chinese food and Japanese food) applying both general explicit and implicit measures and to suggest further theoretical and managerial implications for the measurement of hospitality research. As an experimental study, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) is primarily employed to identify the research objectives in a psychological approach. In total, 39 American (all Caucasian) college students are recruited to complete a self-reported survey and implicit association test (IAT) simultaneously in the U.S. The finding indicates that there are significant mean differences of PFAs between two Asian foods (Chinese food and Japanese food), and that significant mean differences are found in implicit attitudes, but not in explicit attitudes. Furthermore, the study results reveal that PFAs are positively and significantly correlated with GEA, but not with IA (i.e., reaction time). Specific implications and limitations are discussed.