Elliott M. Blass  Human Infant Preference Formation and Facial Recondition My lab. is studying feeding behavior as it relates to obesity. We have discovered that when people eat tasty, fatty foods such as pizza and macaroni and cheese, while watching television, they increase their food intake enormously: by 31% and 74% for pizza, and macaroni and cheese respectively over baseline levels. Not all foods are overeaten, however. Vegetable intake does not increase. We are continuing these studies in an effort to help alleviate the obesity problem in this country. The studies consist of identifying the classes of foods that are particularly susceptible to the TV effect and those that do not support it. We are also studying the long-term consequences of eating while watching TV and are studying its development in children. In separate studies, we are teaming with economists, statisticians and exercise scientists to develop programs that will allow people to maintain stable and nutritionally sound eating and exercise habits.

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Publications:

Blass EM, Camp CA. The Ontogeny of Face Identity: Eight-Sixteen-Week Old Infants use Internal and External Face Features in Identity. (In press)

Blass EM, Camp CA. Changing determinants of crying termination in 6- to 12-week-old human infants. Dev Psychobiol. 2003 Apr; 42(3):312-6.

Blass EM. Ingestion, suckling, and the problem of identity: using criteria in the classification of ingestive behavior. Physiol Behav. 2002 Jun 1; 76(2):179-80.

Gray L, Miller LW, Philipp BL, Blass EM. Breastfeeding is analgesic in healthy newborn. Pediatrics, 2002 Apr; 109(4):590-3.

Blass EM, Camp CA. The Ontogeny of Face Recognition: Eye Contact and Sweet Taste Induce Face Preference in 9 and 12 Week Old Human Infants. Dev Psychol. 2001 Nov;37(6):762-74.

Blass EM, Miller LW. The Effects of Colostrum in Newborn Humans. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2001 Dec; 22(6):385-90.

Blass EM, Watt LB. Suckling and sucrose-induced analgesia in human newborns. Pain. 1999 Dec;83(3):611-23.

Changing influences of sucrose and visual engagement in 2-12-week old human infants: Implications of maternal face recognition. Infant Behavior and Development, 1998.

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