The role of conditioning & social learning in food preferences
- Classical conditioning can explain how the association of food with a positive experience, such as ice cream with parties can explain a preference for a food because of its pleasant associations
- Flavour-flavour learning also has a role to play, where a preference for an unknown food is developed because of its association with a flavour that is already liked
- Operant conditioning through reinforcement also plays a part in children’s food preferences
- When given food as a reward for good behaviours, children develop a preference for this food
- However, if children are given a reward for eating a new and unfamiliar food, like green vegetables, the food eaten to gain the reward becomes less preferred, possibly because such a food is understood by the child to be undesirable
- Also, if adults try to restrict what they view as undesirable food, the restricted food immediately becomes more desirable
- Eating is generally a social event, hence social learning can play a large part in explaining eating behaviour, as children observe and imitate what others eat
- Parents, siblings and friends are important role models for children to observe and imitate
- Children’s food preferences grow similar to those of their parents, and while evolutionary psychologists would see the food preferences as inherited, learning theory explains it as the children and parents sharing the same environment
Using food as a reward for good behaviour will result in a preference for this food.