Categorization strategies differ based on an item’s origins, for example, those that are natural versus human-made. However, it is unclear if and how foods fit into these categories since these can be both natural and human-made (processed), and both types of foods have a history of human intervention. Across two studies, 189 four- and five-year-olds (Mage = 5.09, > 50% White), six- and seven-year-olds (Mage = 6.69, > 50% White), and adults (Mage = 19.34, > 50% White) were recruited from a Northeast community in the United States. They viewed pictures or were told about natural and processed foods, natural kinds, and artifacts undergoing transformations, and were asked if the transformed item remained the same. Category membership judgments differed for foods and non-foods, and for older participants, between processed and natural foods. This suggests that food differs from non-food domains, which requires more than a single categorization strategy.
To be or not to be: The effects of transformations on category membership of foods versus non-foods
