Temporal myopia in preschool-aged children

Previous research has shown that while monkeys prefer more over less when food amounts are small, they become indifferent when amounts are made larger than can be consumed in a single setting, termed a temporal myopia effect. This is contrary to what we know of adult humans, so the present study examines this effect in children. Preschool-aged children from a university day-care center were asked to make choices between differing amounts of popcorn, a preferred food. Findings in Experiment 1 suggest that children do exhibit temporal myopia, though this result was not replicated in Experiment 2. Contrary to the results of Experiment 1, participants in Experiment 2 showed a preference for more over less regardless of the choice amount alternatives. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.