38-5 |
Testing with preschool children: The role of the gatekeeper |
R. D. POPPER1, M. F. Schraidt, and J. J. Kroll. (1) Peryam & Kroll Research Corp., 3033 W. Parker Rd., Ste. 217, Plano, TX 75023-8029 Few studies of children’s food preferences have examined the influence of the interviewer in sensory testing. Kroll (Food Technology, 1990, 44(11), 78) tested 8-10 year olds using either one-on-one interviews or self-administered questionnaires and found the results to be similar. When testing with younger children who require an interviewer, it has been a practice to have the gatekeeper (usually the mother) serve as interviewer in order to make the children more comfortable with the test situation. This research was designed to determine the effect of using the mother as interviewer when testing with preschool age children. Three methods of obtaining information about children’s preferences were compared. Product evaluations were obtained from children using either the mother or a neutral research staff person as interviewer. Mothers were also asked to predict the liking responses of their children. To the extent that mothers can accurately make such predictions, they can serve as proxies for their children, obviating the need to test the children themselves. In addition to comparing the sensitivity of these three methods, the research examined how well each method predicted a behavioral measure of liking, the amount of a product consumed by the child. Results are discussed in terms of implications for designing effective research to guide development of children’s food products.
Session 38, The truth about kids: Update to testing with children
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