Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour - Learning and sensory influences on eating behaviour

6 important questions on Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour - Learning and sensory influences on eating behaviour

What happens when you have repeated exposure to a food?

  • Increase familiarity
  • reduce neophobia
  • but:
    • repitition necessary
    • boredom
    • pleasantness, complexity

Classical conditioning - Flavor-consequence learning:

An association between a novel, neutral flavor stimulus and a hedonically significant post-ingestive effect

Classical conditioning - flavor-nutrient learning:

Pairing a flavor with specific nutrients
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Classical conditioning - flavor-flavor learning:

Evaluation of a (neutral) stimulus changes by association with a second stimulus that is already liked (or disliked). Remains even in absence of original stimulus.
For example: adding sweetness to drinks/foods (coffee, alcohol)

Explain the importance of motivation in food preferences:

  • Important when learning (during exposure phase)
  • examples:
    • hunger/satiety (FCL, FNL)
    • macro/micronutrient depletion (FNL)
    • liking sweetness (pairing stimulus) (FFL)
    • addiction (caffeine, nicotine) (FCL)

Food aversion learning =

  • Stronger, lasts longer
  • longer time window CS and reinforcer
  • faste, less trainging needed
  • less dependent on motivational status
Examples of conditioned taste aversions (CTA): food poisoning, alcohol abuse

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