Food as class marker Castes - social strata assigned because of parents' social status or color. Shared similar cultural and regional origin, common norms and beliefs, in a larger population a. shared fundamental cultural values and norms that differ from other groups making up the larger population or nation b. communication and interaction, reaffirming ethnic identity c. recognition by members and others as distinguishable group 2. Inexperienced rats are less likely to develop aversions to diets that 'demonstrator' rats had eaten in their sight. Newly hatched chicks peck at objects after a mechanical pointer 'pecks' at them. In nature, mother hen picks up food, then drops it in front of chicks.
Chimpanzee mothers share their food with their young.
Similarly, red squirrels that watched another red squirrel open hickory nuts more quickly learned how to open hickory nuts than did squirrels that had not had the opportunity to watch another squirrel. Israeli roof rats learn how to efficiently open pine cones for the seeds if they have the opportunity to watch an older rat open them. Thus social learning reduces time, energy, and risk involved in acquiring new food behaviors. Sociocultural influences on human food selection A. Indirect social influences 1. Hence development of use of sugar in foods, development of sugar industry, and of artificial sweeteners.