In the context of children the term is generally used to indicate a tendency to reject unknown or novel foods.
The word neophobia comes from the Greek νέος, neos, meaning "new, young",[4] and φόβος, phobos, for "fear".
[6][7] Alternative terms for neophobia include metathesiophobia, prosophobia, cainotophobia (or cainophobia), and kainophobia (or kainolophobia).
Researchers argued that the lack of exploratory drive was likely due neurophysiologically to the dysfunction of neural pathways connected to the prefrontal cortex observed during aging.
[10] Robert Anton Wilson theorized in his book Prometheus Rising that neophobia is instinctual in people after they begin to raise children.
Wilson's views on neophobia are mostly negative, believing that it is the reason human culture and ideas do not advance as quickly as our technology.
It is often related to an individual's level of sensation-seeking, meaning a person's willingness to try new things and take risks.
Pediatricians and family physicians are always there to teach parents and care givers different ways to feed their children effectively.
A study done on twin pairs showed an even higher correlation, indicating that genetics do play a factor in food neophobia.