Diseño experimental de asociación libre semántica sobre alimentos y marcas en población infantil
Experimental design of semantic free association on foods and brands in the child population
César Granados-León
,
Marithza Sandoval-Escobar
Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, (2024), 56, pp. 1-15.
Recibido el 25 de julio de 2023
Aceptado el 16 de febrero de 2024
Introducción: Este estudio experimental, centrado en el desarrollo cognitivo infantil y su relación con la nutrición, analizó las asociaciones semánticas de niños y niñas de nueve diferentes ciudades en Colombia con edades comprendidas entre 6 y 13 años (N = 454). Método: Esta investigación tiene un diseño exploratorio, descriptivo correlacional transeccional, basado en una tarea de asociación libre discreta, que consistió en instruir a los participantes para que respondieran a una palabra crítica con las cinco primeras palabras que pensaran, abarcando 100 palabras de alimentos en español y 20 marcas de productos alimenticios. Resultados: Se muestra el valor J por edad, estrato socioeconómico, género y grado académico. Las similitudes significativas (p-value < .001) entre las distribuciones de palabras críticas y las emitidas con mayor frecuencia (f) destacaron la influencia hedónica en las preferencias alimenticias de los niños. En efecto, se identificaron 20 descriptores frecuentes del placer o tópicos hedónicos en el consumo de alimentos, sobresaliendo términos como dulce (f =234) y rico (f = 104). Conclusiones: Se observó una interpretación errónea de la población sobre el significado del concepto saludable (f = 52) en relación con la alimentación. El análisis de las asociaciones semánticas para las 20 principales marcas de alimentos infantiles, respaldado por el índice de Jaccard, proporcionó diez conexiones significativas por cada marca. Estos hallazgos sugieren implicaciones importantes para entender los procesos de aprendizaje organoléptico de alimentos y productos en la infancia, subrayando la necesidad de abordar las percepciones hedónicas y promover una comprensión más precisa de los conceptos relacionados con la salud en el contexto alimentario infantil.
Palabras clave:
Lenguaje infantil, comportamiento infantil, alimentos, marcas, hedonismo
Introduction: This experimental study focuses on the cognitive development of children and its association with nutrition. The semantic associations of boys and girls aged 6-13 years from nine different cities in Colombia (N = 454) were analyzed. Method: The design is exploratory and descriptive correlational cross-sectional. The study utilized a discrete free association task, instructing participants to respond to a critical word with the first five words that came to mind. The task covered 100 Spanish food words and 20 brands of food products. Results: J-values are presented by age, socioeconomic status, gender and grade level. The identification of significant similarities (p-value < .001) between the distributions of critical words and the most frequently emitted (f), highlighted the hedonic influence on children’s food preferences, identifying 20 frequent descriptors of pleasure or hedonic topics in food consumption, with terms such as sweet (f = 234) and rich (f = 104) standing out. Conclusions: The study observed a population misinterpretation of the concept healthy (f = 52) in relation to food. The analysis of semantic associations for the top 20 infant food brands, supported by Jaccard’s index, revealed ten significant connections for each brand. These findings suggest important implications for understanding organoleptic food and product learning processes in childhood. The study emphasizes the importance of addressing hedonic perceptions and fostering a more precise understanding of health-related concepts within the realm of children’s dietary preferences.
Keywords:
Child language, child behavior, food, brands, hedonism
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