About Our Lab

A girl sits at a table eating with a fork.

The Children's Eating Behavior Lab is currently focusing on the following research areas:

Effects of food form and individual child characteristics on appetite regulation in children
Sex differences in eating behavior in children
Characterization of eating behaviors that predict risk for the development of obesity in youth
Identifying neural and cognitive factors that provide resilience to obesogenic behaviors
Effects of food marketing on children's appetite and brain function
Longitudinal studies to identify risk factors for obesity in middle childhood

Past Studies

A child sits in a high chair and has a plate of food on the tray.

Food and Brain Study

This seven-visit study investigates how food portion size influences what and how much children eat, as well as their risk for obesity, in children 7-8 years old.

Several spoons filled with spices lay on a table, surrounded by herbs and spices.

Spice it UP!

This study included working with students and cafeteria staff at a local school to develop recipes incorporating the use of novel herbs and spices into recipes for vegetables served at school lunches.

A girl goes to eat a piece of broccoli with a fork.

Children's Taste Study

In this study, we tested whether preparing vegetables with different flavored spice blends would increase 3-5 year-olds preferences and intake of vegetables in the laboratory.

A girl fills a grocery cart with her mother.

Decision-Making Study

This study aimed to characterize brain and cognitive factors that impact 7-11-year-olds food-related decision-making and relate these characteristics to risk for obesity.

A young boy sits at a table eating from a bowl of pasta.

Hunger and Fullness study

In this study, we developed a technology-based intervention to help train 4-6-year-olds to eat in response to their hunger and fullness signals.

A student wearing a lab coat and hairnet weighs cookies on a scale in a kitchen lab.