Biased bites? Exploring confirmation bias in preschoolers' food rejection

Food rejections are common in young children and impair the variety and quality of their diet. Previous research has revealed relations between food rejection behaviour and fear, anxiety, and cognitive rigidity. Building on these findings in related domains, the present study examined whether negative information-search bias (the tendency to seek out negative information) and confirmation bias (the tendency to search for information confirming one's initial beliefs) in the food domain play a role in child food rejections. A total of 310 caregivers and 299 children participated as part of a longitudinal project tracking children's eating behaviour from three to five years old. Information-search biases were assessed using an iPad task at age three, in which children saw five unfamiliar fruits, indicated whether the fruit looked yummy or yucky, and chose if they wanted to hear from a cartoon who liked or disliked the fruit (confirming or disconfirming their initial belief). Child food rejection was measured at three and four years old using two parental questionnaires (Child Food Rejection Scale [CFRS] and Fruit and Vegetable Liking [FV liking]) and a taste test, in which children were asked to try two familiar and two unfamiliar vegetables. Data revealed no information-search bias nor a confirmation bias across all participants. Analyses further showed no relationship between negative information-search bias nor confirmation bias and the three food rejection measures, suggesting no evidence for a role of these biases in children's food rejection behaviour within the present sample and operationalization. • Children showed no information-search bias or confirmation bias for novel foods • Food rejection was not linked to negative information-search bias for novel foods • Food rejection was not linked to confirmation bias for novel foods • Consistent results across three measures of food rejection