ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Eating Behavior
EXPLORING NEUROGASTRONOMY: AN ANALYSIS USING THE WORD ASSOCIATION TEST AND FREE WORD ASSOCIATION
1. Namik Kemal University, Tekirdağ, Türkiye
2. Gaziantep Universitesi, Şehitkamil, Türkiye
3. Karabuk Universitesi, Karabük, Türkiye
4. University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Abstract
This study expands our understanding of neurogastronomy’s various dimensions and addresses a critical gap in the literature concerning its conceptual structure. However, as a field of research, neurogastronomy lacks conceptual clarity despite its growing popularity. Drawing on Semantic Network Theory, according to which cognitive associations define conceptual understanding, this study investigates the field’s cognitive structure. Word Association Tests were conducted with 327 gastronomy students in Turkey. The analysis yielded 16 codes and 6 themes, with “sensory experience and taste perception” emerging as dominant. The findings demonstrate that neurogastronomy functions as a fragmented rather than a cohesive concept within the cognitive network. By empirically mapping the field’s conceptual boundaries, this study provides a foundation for clarifying terminology and informing future theoretical and applied research.
Summary
Keywords
Gastronomic Neuroscience, Gastronomy, gastrophysics, neurogastronomy, Neuroscience
Received
19 December 2025
Accepted
30 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Uçuk, Süzer and Spence. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Charles Spence
Disclaimer
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