Individual differences in categorization development: The mediation of executive functions and factual knowledge, the case of food.

Cognitive mechanisms underpinning categorization development are still debated, either resulting from knowledge accretion or an increase in cognitive control. To disentangle the respective influence of accumulated factual knowledge and executive functions (inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) on (a) the development of categorization abilities in the food domain and (b) differences in this development by child characteristics (i.e.

Tears for pears: Influence of children's neophobia on categorization performance and strategy in the food domain.

Preschoolers' neophobic dispositions mainly target fruits and vegetables. They received a great deal of attention in the past decades as these dispositions represent the main psychological barrier to dietary variety. Recently, children's food neophobia has been found to be negatively correlated with their categorization performance (i.

Relationships between executive functions and food rejection dispositions in young children.

This study examined the associations between the two main kinds of food rejection, neophobia and pickiness, and executive functions in young children. Caregivers of children (n = 240) aged 3-6 years completed measures of their children's food neophobia and pickiness. A battery of tests measured children's executive functions and world knowledge.

Strength or Nausea? Children's Reasoning About the Health Consequences of Food Consumption.

Children's reasoning on food properties and health relationships can contribute to healthier food choices. Food properties can either be positive ("gives strength") or negative ("gives nausea"). One of the main challenges in public health is to foster children's dietary variety, which contributes to a normal and healthy development.