ABSTRACT
Developmental studies of taste preference have proven an irresistible approach for addressing some of the most basic issues in the area of taste hedonics. To many, the developmental approach is viewed as the best available for examining nature/nurture questions and demonstrating, unequivocally, that certain preferences, such as the preference for sweet tastes, are innate. There is a very large literature examining taste preferences of human neonates, and neonates of other mammalian species. Some date back to the turn of the century, while many are quite recent. In this chapter I plan a highly selective overview of this work. In particular, the questions I focus on are the following: Does taste preference change through development and can such changes be attributed largely to maturation? Do early taste experiences have particular impact on adult taste preference? If so, what accounts for the importance of early experiences and what types of experiences are important? In the course of examining these questions, I also consider those studies that have exploited the “taste naive” neonate to study the innateness of certain taste preferences and aversions.
