Family resemblance in food and other domains: The family paradox and the role of parental congruence

Although families are almost certainly a powerful force for conveying culture-wide preferences, family resemblance for preferences that vary within culture are surprisingly small. This study examines causes of this low correlation, especially in the domain of food preferences. A sample of 118 college students and their current and biological parents completed surveys on food and aesthetic preferences and values. Mid-parent-child correlations were low (mean r = 0.17) for preferences, but were much higher for values (mean r = 0.54). Mid-parent-child correlations were increased to a modest extent by restricting analyses to parents who were in accord (congruent) with the trait being measured. Furthermore, the children's preferences were not reliably correlated more highly with mother than with father, or with same-sex as opposed to opposite-sex parents. This study refers to the low parent-child correlations, and the lack of a mother or same-sex parent effect as the family paradox, and points to the challenge of accounting for the greater part of variance in food and other preferences.