Learning and retention time effect on memory for sweet taste in children

This study investigated the effect of learning and retention time on memory for fruit purée varying in sweetness among 214 children aged 8–10 years. During a first session, all children received a snack including a target fruit purée. Half children tasted the snack without any mention to memory (incidental group), whereas the other children (intentional group) were explicitly asked to taste and remember it. During a second session, children of each learning group were divided in two groups, which were tested for memory after respectively 1 day and 1 week. Children were confronted with a series of samples consisting of the same target previously tasted and variants of it slightly modified in sweetness. Children performed also a hedonic and a perceptive test. Memory was better under incidental rather than intentional conditions. Recognition was based more on the correct rejection of the distractors rather than on the identification of the target. No clear evidence for a retention time effect on memory was found. The relationship between sweetness perception and memory is discussed.

► We investigated learning and retention time effect on children’s food memory.
► Memory index was higher under incidental rather than intentional conditions.
► No clear evidence for a retention time effect on children’s memory was found.
► Memory depended more on distractor rejection rather than on target identification.