Behavioural innovation, the use of new behaviours or modification of existing ones in novel contexts, has been suggested to aid animals in meeting the demands of new or changing environments. Many researchers have studied intra-specific variation in the propensity for technical innovation (i.e. use of new or modified motor actions) using problem-solving tasks, but have found mixed results concerning the influence of individual and ecological variables. Relatively few researchers have investigated the predictors of consumer innovation (i.e. consumption of novel food). The aim of the work presented within this thesis is to ascertain which characteristics explain intra-specific variation in the propensity for technical and consumer innovation in black-capped chickadees. In chapter 2 I analyze dominance rank, exploratory tendency, and habitat urbanization as predictors of problem-solving performance and persistence. I found, for one of the tasks presented to the birds, that dominants outperform subordinates, particularly among rural individuals. This goes against predictions from the necessity drives innovation hypothesis, but may be explained by differences in experience, as adults were found to outperform juveniles in a follow-up analysis. There was also evidence for a positive relationship between exploratory tendency and lever-pulling performance. The lack of consistency in performance across tasks likely arose from differences in task characteristics. In chapter 3 I analyze the predictors of food neophobia and willingness to consume novel food using the same variables as before, as well as baseline levels of corticosterone. I found that birds responded differently to each novel food type and individuals became less neophobic and more willing to consume novel food items as the study progressed through autumn. Additionally, I found a negative relationship between baseline corticosterone levels and food neophobia, and a positive relationship between corticosterone levels and the propensity for consumer innovation. This finding is in line with the knowledge of higher baseline corticosterone driving foraging behaviour. Overall this work provides further insights into the characteristics that may drive innovation and allow animals to meet novel challenges or take advantage of novel opportunities in their environment.

The goal of this study was to understand the relationship between food neophobia and bitterness in consumer liking. Fruit and vegetable consumption is necessary for elementary school children to build healthy habits. Free and reduced lunch programs (FRL) in schools provide nutritional opportunities to students. Bitterness sensitivity and food neophobia were examined as separate drivers of liking in acceptance testing (n=161, ages 6-12) from two local elementary schools (high and low %FRL). The food neophobia scale and the fruit and vegetable neophobia instrument (FNVI) were used to determine food neophobia. FNVI scores distinguished consumers in hierarchical cluster analysis of overall liking. FVNI scores correlated to texture liking and flavor liking in familiar and unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. Non-bitter sensitive participants unexpectedly exhibited more neophobia than bitter sensitive participants. Neophobic participants liked familiar products more than unfamiliar products. Bitter sensitive participants were less neophobic and preferred bitter vegetables

Objective: To determine the impact of preschool teacher food-related attitudes and behaviors on child food behaviors. Design: A twelve-week intervention and observational study with teachers completing questionnaires before and after the intervention. Setting: Head Start classrooms throughout Virginia. Participants: 177 preschool Head Start teachers and 1534 children. Intervention(s): Food Friends, a twelve-week social marketing campaign, was conducted by Head Start teachers during the Spring 2007, introducing children to novel foods with food puppets, nutrition-related activities and novel food tasting opportunities. Hypotheses related to the impact of preschool teachers' food-related attitudes and behaviors on children's food behaviors were tested, and changes in teacher and child food behaviors were measured. Main Outcome Measures: Teacher food-related attitudes and behaviors were measured/quantified. Child food behaviors were measured and compared to teacher attitudes and behaviors. Analysis: Descriptive, correlational and t-test statistics were conducted. Results: Teachers' and children's acceptance of novel foods improved after the Food Friends program, however, no direct correlations were found between teacher food-related attitudes and behaviors and child food behaviors. Conclusions and Implications: Preschool teacher attitudes and behaviors may not significantly impact child food-related behaviors. More research is needed to determine effective ways of encouraging positive child food behaviors. / Master of Science

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Tendo como base a visão evolucionista e a abordagem terapêutica cognitivo-comportamental, o objetivo deste trabalho foi propor um protocolomodificado de tratamento para pessoas obesas com compulsão alimentar periódica.A idéia norteadora é que estratégias que foram úteis para a sobrevivência daespécie poderiam estar influenciando no ganho de peso. Entre estas estratégias,destacam-se: a tendência a consumir uma grande quantidade de alimentos, facilitando o consumo de alimentos hipercalóricos; e a neofobia alimentar, dificultando o consumo de frutas, legumes e verduras. Obedecendo à lógicaancestral herdada pela espécie, a primeira proporciona reservas para momentos deescassez de alimentos e a segunda implica em uma recusa em consumir alimentosdesconhecidos evitando que substâncias tóxicas sejam ingeridas. Ambos os fatores poderiam contribuir para a obesidade. Os tratamentos convencionais buscam controlar a ingestão calórica. O que aqui se propõe, além desse controle, é tentardiminuir o nível de neofobia alimentar. Com essa hipótese de trabalho espera-se aumentar o consumo de alimentos, principalmente os mais saudáveis e hipocalóricos, contribuindo para reduzir a ingestão de alimentos hipercalóricos. Otratamento incluiu técnicas de exposição, modelação e imitação adicionadas a umtratamento já utilizado para obesos com compulsão alimentar periódica. Foram criados dois grupos, o primeiro com 4 participantes funcionando como grupo decontrole, que recebeu um tratamento convencional de TCC; o outro, com 6 participantes aqui denominado grupo de intervenção, que recebeu o tratamento deTCC modificado. A pesquisa foi qualificada como quase-experimental. O resultadoobtido foi uma redução do índice de neofobia alimentar, do Índice de massa corporal, um aumento no consumo de alimentos saudáveis e a redução de gordurase açúcares no chamado grupo de intervenção. Embora tenha alcançado estes resultados, o tratamento ainda precisa ser reformulado e ampliado. / Based on the evolutionary vision and cognitive-behavioral therapy approach,the objective was to propose a modified protocol of treatment for overweight peoplewith binge eating. The guiding idea is that the strategies that were useful for thesurvival of the species could have contributed to weight gain. Among these strategiesare: the tendency to consume a large amount of food, facilitating the consumption ofcalorie foods, and food neophobia, making the consumption of fruits and vegetables.According to the logic inherited the ancestral species, the first provides reserves fortimes of food shortages and the second implies a refusal to consume food thatavoiding unknown toxic substances are ingested. Both factors could contribute toobesity. Conventional treatments seek to control caloric intake. What is proposedhere, and this control is to try to reduce the level of food neophobia. With this workinghypothesis is expected to increase food intake, especially low-calorie and healthierby helping to reduce the intake of calorie. Treatment included exposure techniques,modeling and imitation added to an already used to treat obese patients with bingeeating. We created two groups, the first with 4 participants working as a control groupwho received conventional treatment of TCC, the other with 6 participants here calledthe intervention group, who received the modified treatment of TCC. The researchwas described as a quasi-experimental. The result was a reduction in the rate of foodneophobia, the body mass index, an increased consumption of healthy foods andreduce fats and sugars called in the intervention group. Although it has achievedthese results, the treatment still needs to be reformed and expanded.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Tendo como base a visão evolucionista e a abordagem terapêutica cognitivo-comportamental, o objetivo deste trabalho foi propor um protocolomodificado de tratamento para pessoas obesas com compulsão alimentar periódica.A idéia norteadora é que estratégias que foram úteis para a sobrevivência daespécie poderiam estar influenciando no ganho de peso. Entre estas estratégias,destacam-se: a tendência a consumir uma grande quantidade de alimentos, facilitando o consumo de alimentos hipercalóricos; e a neofobia alimentar, dificultando o consumo de frutas, legumes e verduras. Obedecendo à lógicaancestral herdada pela espécie, a primeira proporciona reservas para momentos deescassez de alimentos e a segunda implica em uma recusa em consumir alimentosdesconhecidos evitando que substâncias tóxicas sejam ingeridas. Ambos os fatores poderiam contribuir para a obesidade. Os tratamentos convencionais buscam controlar a ingestão calórica. O que aqui se propõe, além desse controle, é tentardiminuir o nível de neofobia alimentar. Com essa hipótese de trabalho espera-se aumentar o consumo de alimentos, principalmente os mais saudáveis e hipocalóricos, contribuindo para reduzir a ingestão de alimentos hipercalóricos. Otratamento incluiu técnicas de exposição, modelação e imitação adicionadas a umtratamento já utilizado para obesos com compulsão alimentar periódica. Foram criados dois grupos, o primeiro com 4 participantes funcionando como grupo decontrole, que recebeu um tratamento convencional de TCC; o outro, com 6 participantes aqui denominado grupo de intervenção, que recebeu o tratamento deTCC modificado. A pesquisa foi qualificada como quase-experimental. O resultadoobtido foi uma redução do índice de neofobia alimentar, do Índice de massa corporal, um aumento no consumo de alimentos saudáveis e a redução de gordurase açúcares no chamado grupo de intervenção. Embora tenha alcançado estes resultados, o tratamento ainda precisa ser reformulado e ampliado. / Based on the evolutionary vision and cognitive-behavioral therapy approach,the objective was to propose a modified protocol of treatment for overweight peoplewith binge eating. The guiding idea is that the strategies that were useful for thesurvival of the species could have contributed to weight gain. Among these strategiesare: the tendency to consume a large amount of food, facilitating the consumption ofcalorie foods, and food neophobia, making the consumption of fruits and vegetables.According to the logic inherited the ancestral species, the first provides reserves fortimes of food shortages and the second implies a refusal to consume food thatavoiding unknown toxic substances are ingested. Both factors could contribute toobesity. Conventional treatments seek to control caloric intake. What is proposedhere, and this control is to try to reduce the level of food neophobia. With this workinghypothesis is expected to increase food intake, especially low-calorie and healthierby helping to reduce the intake of calorie. Treatment included exposure techniques,modeling and imitation added to an already used to treat obese patients with bingeeating. We created two groups, the first with 4 participants working as a control groupwho received conventional treatment of TCC, the other with 6 participants here calledthe intervention group, who received the modified treatment of TCC. The researchwas described as a quasi-experimental. The result was a reduction in the rate of foodneophobia, the body mass index, an increased consumption of healthy foods andreduce fats and sugars called in the intervention group. Although it has achievedthese results, the treatment still needs to be reformed and expanded.

No description available.

The Food neophobia (FN) behaviors in children are developed during childhood and can be influenced by parental FN and feeding behaviors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between FN and fruit and vegetable neophobia (FVN) among parents, the parents-reports on child's behavior and child self-reports. The effect of parental feeding practices and demographic variables on children’s FN and FVN were evaluated. Sixty-eight parents paired with their elementary school children (aged 7-12 years) in San Luis Coastal Unified School District participated in this study. Results indicated that parents reported their children more neophobic than children self-reported neophobia; however, there was a significant association between parents-reported child FN and child self-reported FN (r=0.62, p<0.05). FVN behaviors were positively and consistently correlated with FN in both parents and children. Parents with the highest income levels used less restriction for weight and child control strategies to feed their children (p<0.05). More pressure to eat was applied significantly for younger children, which increased their levels of food and FVN as reported by parents.

La néophobie alimentaire est une réticence à goûter et/ou le rejet des aliments inconnus. Elle a une incidence négative sur la variété du répertoire alimentaire de l’enfant et sur le climat familial lors des repas. L’objectif de notre étude, qui se situe dans une perspective développementale, est de répondre à trois questions concernant cette conduite qui demeurent insuffisamment traitées dans la littérature scientifique : 1/ la néophobie alimentaire émerge-t-elle brusquement à 2 ans ; 2/ si oui, quels sont les processus développementaux à l’origine de cette évolution ? ; 3/ quels liens la néophobie alimentaire entretient-elle avec la sélectivité alimentaire (réticence à goûter des aliments familiers) et l’alimentation difficile (rejet d’aliments inconnus et familiers, assorti de fortes préférences alimentaires) ?Via l’utilisation de questionnaires, nous avons évalué : 1/ la néophobie alimentaire en termes de prévalence et d’intensité ; 2/ les compétences développementales susceptibles d’expliquer son évolution dans les sphères motrice, praxique, linguistique et psycho-affective ; ces compétences ont été sélectionnées sur la base d’arguments temporel (évolution synchrone) et fonctionnel (liens théorique et psychologique) ; 3/ les conduites avec lesquelles elle est fréquemment confondue, à savoir la sélectivité alimentaire et l’alimentation difficile. Notre échantillon principal s’est trouvé composé de 432 sujets âgés de 3 à 60 mois. Nos résultats ont indiqué que la néophobie alimentaire constituait une période normale du développement de l’enfant. La prévalence de la néophobie alimentaire était de 57 % et associée à une intensitée modérée entre 3 et 6 mois ; elle augmentait de manière importante en termes de prévalence et d’intensité entre 19 et 36 mois, concernant 90 % des enfants à cet âge, puis elle se stabilisait jusqu’à 60 mois. Suivant cette évolution, nous avons proposé un modèle développemental de la néophobie alimentaire comprenant deux phases : 1/ une néophobie primaire commune aux nourrissons et aux animaux, liée à la perception de la nouveauté d’une texture ou d’une flaveur et sous-tendue par des processus de pensée intuitifs ; 2/ une néophobie secondaire, liée aux acquisitions réalisées par les enfants aux alentours de 2 ans, reposant largement sur l’aspect visuel des aliments et impliquant des traitements cognitifs plus élaborés. Nous n’avons pas identifié les processus développementaux à l’origine de son évolution entre 19 et 36 mois. Plusieurs explications méthodologiques et théoriques ont été envisagées pour expliquer cette absence de résultat telles que l’existence d’une phase intermédiaire dans l’acquisition des compétences ou l’implication d’autres mécanismes psychologiques ou neurobiologiques non mesurés dans cette recherche. De plus, nous avons constaté une intrication des processus développementaux mesurés aux alentours de 2 ans. Tous les progrès réalisés par l’enfant sur une courte période semblent converger dans une même direction, celle de l’autonomie : une autonomie à la fois motrice, avec l’acquisition de la marche et de la capacité à se nourrir seul, et une autonomie psychique, avec l’acquisition de la conscience de soi et l’entrée en phase d’opposition. Dans ce cadre, le développement du langage permettrait à l’enfant d’exprimer son individualité à travers l’affirmation de ses goûts et de ses besoins. La capacité à exprimer des demandes verbales et l’acquisition de la conscience de soi ont d’ailleurs été les compétences approchant le plus des critères de validation d’hypothèse. De ce fait, nous pouvons nous demander si l’augmentation de la néophobie alimentaire aux alentours de 2 ans vise à protéger l’enfant d’un éventuel empoisonnement à un moment où il devient de plus en plus autonome et/ou si elle reflète simplement des tentatives d’individuation. / Food neophobia is a reluctance to taste and/or the rejection of unknown foods. It has a negative impact on the diversity of the child's food repertoire and on the family dynamic during meals. The objective of our study, within a developmental perspective, is to answer three questions that remain insufficiently addressed in the scientific literature concerning this behavior: 1/ does food neophobia suddenly emerge at 2 years old; 2/ if so, what are the developmental processes involved in this evolution? ; 3/ how is food neophobia linked with pickiness (the reluctance to taste unfamiliar ingredients) and picky eating (the rejection of both unfamiliar and familiar foods, assorted with strong food preferences)?Through the use of questionnaires, we assessed: 1/ Food neophobia in terms of prevalence and intensity; 2/ Some developmental skills that are likely to explain its evolution in the motor, praxic, linguistic and psycho-affective spheres; these skills have been determined on the basis of temporal (synchronous evolution) and functional (theoretical and psychological links) arguments; 3/ The different behaviors it is frequently confused with: pickiness and picky eating. Our research sample was composed of 432 subjects aged between 3 and 60 months old.Our results showed that food neophobia was a normal period during childhood. The prevalence of food neophobia was 57% and was moderate intense between 3 and 6 months; it increased significantly in terms of prevalence and intensity between 19 and 36 months, with 90% of children affected by this condition at this age, then it stabilized until 60 months old. Based on this evolution, we have proposed a developmental model of food neophobia that can be divided in two phases: 1/ A primary neophobia common to infants and animals, that is mostly related to the perception of a new textures or flavors which relies on intuitive thinking processes; 2/ Secondary neophobia, that is based on children development around 2 years old, and that largely relies on food’s visual aspect and involves more elaborate cognitive processes.We did not identify the developmental processes that are responsible for its evolution between 19 and 36 months. Several methodological and theoretical explanations have been considered to justify this lack of results such as the existence of an intermediate phase during the skills acquisition period or the involvement of other psychological or neurobiological mechanisms that have not been measured for this study. In addition, we found an entanglement of developmental processes measured around 2 years. All the progress made by the child over a short period seem to converge in the same direction, that of autonomy: a motor autonomy, with the ability to walk and eat alone, and a psychic autonomy, with self-awareness and the opposition phase. In this context, language development would allow the child to express his/her individuality through the assertion of his preferences and needs. Furthermore, the ability to express verbal demands and the acquisition of self-awareness have been the closest things to our hypothesis validation criteria. As a result, we can ask whether the increase in food neophobia around 2 years is aimed at protecting the child from possible poisoning at a time when he is becoming more and more autonomous and/or if he simply reflects individuation attempts.

No description available.

Although vegetables provide many beneficial nutrients and have been shown to help reduce the risk of dietary related chronic diseases, children in the United States are not meeting the national recommendations of vegetable servings. The overall goal of this research was to study the relationship between children’s vegetable acceptance and the following children’s characteristics: food neophobia (FN), vegetable neophobia (VN), picky eating (PE), 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) sensitivity, Mouth Behavior (MB). The specific objectives were to: (1) develop a novel method for evaluating children’s MB, (2) assess the FN, VN, PE, PROP sensitivity, and MB levels in children in San Luis Obispo County, (3) examine the relationship between FN, VN, PE, PROP sensitivity, and MB, (4) determine exposure and willingness to try familiar and unfamiliar vegetables of the two levels of each of the children’s characteristics, (5) to determine acceptability of familiar and unfamiliar vegetables of each level of each of the children’s characteristics, and (6) determine if the preference between two levels of each children’s characteristic differed. Children’s acceptability of familiar and unfamiliar vegetables was conducted with 43 child and parent pairs. Parents completed five questionnaires: demographics, the Child Food Neophobic Scale, the Fruit and Vegetable Neophobia Instrument (vegetable subscale), the Child-Feeding Questionnaire (pickiness subscale), and the JBMB® typing tool. Children participated in consumer acceptance testing of red carrots (stick, sliver, and puree) and broccoli (floret, sliver, and puree). Sensory attributes were measured using a 5-point facial hedonic scale. The children’s PROP sensitivity was determined by having the children place a control taste strip on their tongue for approximately ten seconds and report what they tasted. This procedure was repeated with a PROP taste strip. The children’s MB was determined through a guided discussion about their eating behaviors and food preferences with their parents. Of the children in the study, there were 46.51% FN, 32.56% PE, 34.8% PROP sensitive, 44.19% VN, 60.47% chewers, 27.91% crunchers, 6.98% smooshers, and 4.65% suckers. From likelihood ratio chi-square analysis, the following characteristics were related: FN and VN (p This study indicates there are possible trends between FN, PE, MB, and vegetable acceptance. Another trend that appeared was that the sensory attributes of the non-bitter, unfamiliar red carrots were often rated higher than the sensory attributes of the bitter, familiar broccoli. It may be possible to determine child’s MB through discussions with the child and their parent. In conclusion, knowledge of a children’s MB and understanding how their eating behaviors are associated with the acceptability of familiar and unfamiliar vegetables served in different product forms may be able to help increase children’s vegetable consumption.