Abstracts Psychology

Aspects of the development of the sense of taste in humans

by Elizabeth C. Temple

Very little research has been conducted on the development of taste perception in humans. Therefore there is a lack of knowledge, first, about how children perceive taste, especially when compared to what is known about how adults experience taste, and second, about the functioning and development of the gustatory system, including when the system is fully mature and functioning in an adult-like manner. The aims of this thesis were (i) to investigate the growth pattern of the tongue throughout childhood / adolescence, and (ii) to determine the state of maturity of some of the aspects of the sense of taste in mid-childhood. Overall, the data in this thesis indicate that children respond similarly to adults with regard to single-point measures of sensitivity and perceived intensity, but there are some differences in the overall temporal experience of taste, from onset of perception through to extinction, and the way in which it is perceived by adults and 8-9 year old children. The latter