ABSTRACT

For details of the findings, see the technical report (Brophy, Alleman, & O’Mahony, 2001).

CHILDREN’S KNOWLEDGE AND THINKING ABOUT FOOD

Children learn very early to distinguish food from nonfood items, and they learn “cuisine rules” about what foods are eaten in what combinations at what times of

day (Birch, Fisher, & Grimm-Thomas, 1999; Rozin, 1990). They link eating with consequences that include growth, health, strength, and energy, but their knowledge tends to be vague and spotty. They know that food is important because it is needed to keep us alive but they cannot explain how it does so, such as by referring to its role in metabolism (Driver, Squires, Rushworth, & Wood-Robinson, 1994).