Projective methods for the study of food consumer behavior: an updated short review of its uses, challenges, and potential applications

Abstract

Projective methods allow for understanding food consumer behavior quickly and with reliable results. This short review aims to update projective methods for studying food consumer behavior. Several applications of the projective methods were identified, the association, construction, and completion techniques the most common to decipher food consumption behavior. Personification techniques and shopping lists allow for identifying the consumer profile while completing sentences or stories helps to understand the factors that influence or limit food consumption. Finally, the theoretical approaches used by studies with projective methods are based principally on social representations and expectancy-value theories. The big five personality traits theory may be useful for future studies using the shopping list or product personality profile techniques.