Effects of sugar ingestion expectancies on mother-child interactions
We checked this card's citation and the finding we state against the source's own page or record in October 2026.
What it found
Every boy got a sugar-free placebo, but mothers who were told their son had eaten a large dose of sugar rated him as significantly more hyperactive, and watched and corrected him more, than mothers told the truth. The expectation, not the sugar, changed what adults saw.
What kind of study it is
- Design
- Randomized trial in schools
- Weight
- A trial in schools: it compares groups that got the practice with groups that didn't.
- Sample
- 35 boys aged 5 to 7 described as sugar sensitive, and their mothers, randomly assigned
- Who
- School-age children (K–12)
Read it
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Cited in the Library
Cite this study
Hoover, D. W., & Milich, R. (1994). Effects of sugar ingestion expectancies on mother-child interactions. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22(4), 501–515. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02168088
Checked against the source in October 2026. All studies · How we rate the evidence · Something wrong? Tell us.