METHODS FOR AVERAGING TIME-INTENSITY CURVES

Although there has been increased interest in the use of time-intensity (T-I) measures in sensory studies, there are weaknesses in existing methods for the analysis and presentation of T-I data. This paper reviews the methods for averaging time-intensity curves, pointing out their limitations. A new method is proposed, in which normalization of individual curves is carried out for both intensity and time, and the resulting mean curve is unique. The method accommodates intensity plateaus, non-zero endpoints and non-monotonic curves. The main parameters of the mean curves are averages of the corresponding parameters of the individual curves. © 1990 Oxford University Press.