Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2025
04:56
Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
8.1K
Children's Influence on Parents: the Bidirectional Relationship in Family Meal Selection
Emma I Studer-Perez1, Dara Musher-Eizenman1
1Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, 822 E Merry St, Bowling Green, OH 43403 USA.
Journal of Child and Family Studies
|January 4, 2023
Summary
Children influence family meal choices, leading to diets higher in calories and sugar. This bidirectional feeding dynamic impacts child nutrition and health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Child Development
- Family Studies
Background:
- Parental influence on child diet is well-researched.
- Child influence, or "pester power," is known in retail settings.
- Home food selection dynamics between parents and children remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the bidirectional influence of children on parental food selection at home.
- To analyze nutrient differences in meals selected by parents alone versus jointly with children.
Main Methods:
- Study involved 79 parent-child dyads with children aged 6-15 years.
- Dyads created meals together and separately.
- Repeated measures ANOVAs analyzed nutrient content differences.
Main Results:
- Child presence during meal selection led to increased calories, sugar, and decreased fiber.
- Children influenced parents toward more palatable food choices.
- Parents only influenced children's protein selections.
Conclusions:
- Children significantly impact home meal composition, affecting dietary quality.
- Understanding this bidirectional feeding relationship is crucial for child health.
- Findings highlight the need for strategies to promote healthier family eating habits.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
106
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
106
01:27Parenting Styles
107
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
107
00:55Parental Care
11.8K
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
11.8K
01:23Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
459
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
459
02:01Factorial Design
13.1K
Factorial Analysis is an experimental design that applies Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical procedures to examine a change in a dependent variable due to more than one independent variable, also known as factors. Changes in worker productivity can be reasoned, for example, to be influenced by salary and other conditions, such as skill level. One way to test this hypothesis is by categorizing salary into three levels (low, moderate, and high) and skills sets into two levels (entry level...
13.1K
01:30Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
62
Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
62