Abstract

Effect of an auxiliary device for chopstick operations on the chopstick-use performance of foreign novices

Author(s): Yi-Lang Chen, Yu-Chi Lee

This study adopted the chopstick auxiliary device which was previously developed to assess how such a device improves the chopstick-use performance of foreign novices. Fifty male international exchange students participated in the study and their data on three foodserving performance indicators were collected after they performed three stages of tasks. Results showed that after users whose original chopstick operation was scissors-pinching had practiced using the auxiliary device for 1-h, the precision and stability of their pincerspinching operation was superior to those of their scissors-pinching technique (p<.05). This study also found that the auxiliary device is applicable for novices who already knew how to use chopsticks correctly (i.e., pincers-pinching). Using this device significantly improved their pinching force, whereas the pinching precision and stability remained no significant change. This study verified that foreigners who just started using chopsticks can employ the auxiliary device to learn how to correctly hold chopsticks, thereby improving their foodserving performance.