Title: How Infants and Young Children Learn About Food: A Systematic Review
| Authors: | Mura Paroche M, Caton SJ, Vereijken CMJL, Weenen H, Houston-Price C |
| Published: | 2017 |
| Journal: | Frontiers in Psychology |
Although much research has been performed on how children learn about food between weaning and 3 years of age no systematic review has previously been performed. This systematic review clarifies the role of 4 learning processes:
- familiarization: children become familiar with a product through repeated exposure
- associative learning: children learn to associate a food with a specific consequence
- observational learning: children learn from observing the behavior of others
- categorization: children learn to assign individual foods to a specific category
Recent research suggests that familiarization and observational learning are particularly relevant in developing advice for parents on the development of healthy eating. The review supports th
e recommendation to promote healthy foods by repeated exposure and variety, and the importance of role models. the review also summarises what is known about how categorisation develops in the first three years of life
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