Kids, cartoons, and cookies: Stereotype priming effects on children's food consumption
通过三个实验，研究6至14岁儿童接触超重卡通角色后是否会激活超重刻板印象，进而导致高热量低营养食物摄入增加。
Abstract In studies with adult participants, exposure to a prime that activates a stereotype can lead to stereotype‐consistent behavior. Given significant differences in cognitive development, stereotype formation, and use of stereotypes from early childhood to adulthood, the emergence of such behavioral priming effects in childhood is uncertain. To begin addressing whether children exhibit behavioral priming effects from stereotype exposure, we conduct three experiments in which children are exposed to either a normal weight or overweight cartoon character prime, and subsequently (as an unrelated activity) have access to high energy, low‐nutrient food. Our results with children from 6 to 14 years old indicate that overweight cartoon character primes can activate the overweight stereotype, leading to relatively high levels of food intake. This effect persisted when participants were simultaneously exposed to a normal weight and an overweight character together (study 2), and was successfully moderated by the activation of health knowledge (study 3).