Gather the materials needed to perform the experiment. You will need a partner, a blindfold, six small cups, 12 cotton swabs, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, sweet and sour sauce and maple syrup. You will also need a pen and piece of paper for recording your findings. Once you have gathered all of the needed materials, place a small amount of each food in it's own cup and place two cotton swabs next to each cup.
Make some predictions about what you think will happen when you taste the foods with your nose plugged and with it unplugged. Record your predictions at the bottom of the chart. Designate who will be the taster and who will be the tester. Blindfold the taster and dip a cotton swab into each food, one at a time, and place it on the taster's tongue. The taster will then determine which food is which and observe whether it is sweet, salty, bitter or sour. Write down the results on the chart.
Keep the taster blindfolded and have her plug her nose. Dip the cotton swabs in each food and placing them on the taster's tongue, mixing up the order in which the foods are tasted. Record the results from the second taste test. Compare the results from the blindfolded taste.
Switch the tester and taster roles and repeat the experiment, recording the new taster's results. Compare what each person found. Repeat the experiment with other foods with similar textures, like liquids or foods that crunch. Compare those results with results from the previous experiments. Consider whether it is easier to taste the foods while blindfold or when both your sight and smell are impaired. Consider which foods were easier to identify.