Testing taste sensitivity and aversion in very young children: development of a procedure

Taste perception in 45 3- to 6-year-old children was tested using procedures specifically designed for this age group. Detection thresholds for sucrose and urea were measured by a staircase method and aversion to urea was assessed hedonically, using drawings of facial expressions. All children understood the task and could perform the necessary actions. A subgroup of 20 children participated in a second measurement after a mean interval of 9.5 days: there was a satisfactory degree of stability between the sessions. However, a third measurement, on a subgroup of 13 children after a somewhat longer interval, showed a marked drop in the stability of the urea thresholds. This drop was thought to arise from a decrease in the children's motivation, leading to increased distractibility. Mean threshold estimates were 31 mmol/l for sucrose detection, 59 mmol/l for urea detection and 134 mmol/l for urea aversion, but some children were extremely sensitive to the taste of urea. The findings show that it is possible to study taste perception in very young children if their age is taken into consideration in developing the test procedure. Valid data can be obtained if the procedures are short, easy to understand and intrinsically motivating.