The purpose of this voluntary research study is to help us learn more about how the brain works to control what we eat. This knowledge may help us understand how to help children eat a more nutritious diet. Our study is being done to find the answer to this question: “How do children react to viewing images of high energy foods and make food choices?” We know that some children are more likely to eat more or less of certain foods. We do not know why, but we are studying pictures of children’s brains when they see foods to find out. This study will use questionnaires, eating behavior tests, IQ tests, computer tasks, and BodPod to measure body composition. We will also use fNIRS, which is a child-friendly tool that uses light to record your child’s activity. In this research study, your child will wear an fNIRS cap with light fibers on it while sitting in a chair and responding to questions about food images.

We are looking for healthy children to help us learn about how kids respond to different types of food and make decisions about food. We are looking for child volunteers who are healthy, 8 to 9 years old, and who would be able to attend each visit with a biological parent. The study consists of 2 visits to Penn State University. On the first visit we will use fNIRS which is a child-friendly brain imaging technique that uses lights to record brain. Your child will wear a cap with light fibers while they sit comfortably in a chair playing a computer task. This procedure is not harmful. Then your child will eat a meal and snack buffets in our laboratory. On the second visit we will use the BodPod measure body composition and then your child will eat a meal and play computer and iPad tasks.

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