Food neophobia, an examination of food rejections with special reference to disgust

grantor: University of TorontoRozin and Fallon (1987) have identified three motivational dimensions underlying acceptance/rejection of foods, each of which is relevant to our understanding of food neophobic (i.e., fear of unfamiliar foods) reactions. They are: (1) anticipated consequences of eating foods, (2) beliefs about the sensory-affective properties of foods, and (3) ideational reasons for acceptance/rejection, including both disgust and belief about the appropriateness of the items as food. Within this framework, three studies were conducted to identify and understand what underlies rejection of novel foods, particularly novel animal foods. Previous research suggests that neophobic reactions towards novel animal foods are mediated by disgust (a specific type of ideational rejection) (Martins et al., 1997). In Study 1 participants rated their beliefs about the properties of, their emotional reactions towards, and their willingness to try the 12 foods. For novel foods, both nonanimal and animal, it was found that participants' beliefs about the disgusting attributes, and interest experienced at the thought of eating the foods were the best predictors of willingness to try them. Study 2 exposed participants to scenarios depicting potentially disgusting foods in an effort to determine what makes foods disgusting. It was found that negative sensory/textural properties and reminders of livingness/animalness accounted for most of the variability in ratings of perceived disgustingness of the foods depicted in the scenarios. Study 3 examined the effect of a distraction/rumination manipulation on participants' experience of the disgust attributes of novel animal foods and willingness to try them. This manipulation had no effect on ratings of the foods' disgust attributes or willingness to try them. It was concluded that novel nonanimal foods can also elicit disgust reactions, although these disgust reactions may be weaker than the disgust reactions exhibited towards novel animal foods. Additionally, it is proposed that positive transvaluation (i.e., acceptance of foods based on their nature, origin, or social history--an ideational motive for acceptance) may be a fruitful technique for reducing the experience of the disgust attributes and neophobic reactions towards novel animal foods.Ph.D