CHILDREN'S VIEWS OF WEIGHT: DO CHILDREN VIEW WEIGHT AS FIXED OR FLEXIBLE?

Abstract

Children encounter people of different weights in their lives every day. How do children think about weight as a human characteristic? Children often think of human traits in "essentialist" ways – as biologically determined, fixed, and inborn – but research has not examined whether children hold essentialist views of weight. In two studies, researchers investigated whether children (ages 4-11, n = 290) viewed weight as fixed or flexible. The results from both studies showed that children view weight as fixed, in line with early their essentialist views. This research can help society to break away from the stigmas children and even adults hold against those who are seen as "overweight". This research adds to the little amount of research that exists on how children view weight and why these stigmas may exist.