Sensestelling

Sensestelling is the process of recording and interpreting sensations that individuals report in response to sensory stimuli. It covers the five traditional modalities—sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch—as well as somatosensory feedback such as temperature and pain. In research and practice, sensestelling combines subjective reports from participants with standardized measurement tools to characterize the intensity, quality, and hedonic value of the stimulus.

Measurements are often numerical, using scales such as 0–10 intensity scales, category scales (none to strong), or hedonic scales (dislike to like). In many fields, trained panels perform descriptive analysis to identify perceptible attributes (e.g., fruity, floral, bitter) and their intensities. Threshold testing may determine detection, discrimination, and recognition thresholds for a given stimulus.

Applications include sensory evaluation in the food and beverage industry, cosmetics, and consumer electronics, where sensestelling informs product development and quality control. In clinical settings, sensestelling supports diagnostics and rehabilitation by tracking sensory function, pain, or fatigue. It also plays a key role in psychology and ergonomics when assessing user experience.

Limitations of sensestelling stem from subjectivity and variability between individuals, mood, context, and culture. Reliable results require standardized protocols, training, appropriate controls, and, when possible, multiple complementary measures. Cross-cultural translation and language differences can affect interpretation of scales and descriptors.

Origin and usage: the Dutch term sensestelling is used in scientific and applied contexts to describe this process of reporting sensory experience. It is often contrasted with objective measures of stimulus properties, such as physical quantities or instrumental readings, and with qualitative interviews.