The Role of Learning in Food Preference (AQA A Level Psychology): Revision Note

The role of conditioning & social learning in food preferences

• Classical conditioning can explain how the association of food with a positive experience can explain a preference for a food because of its pleasant associations 

• Flavour-flavour learning is a form of classical conditioning where a preference for a new food develops through its association with a flavour that is already liked

  • E.g. porridge or yoghurt becomes more acceptable when sugar is added to it

• Operant conditioning through reinforcement also plays a part in children’s food preferences 

• When given food as a reward for good behaviour, 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 reward can undermine the preference, as the child infers that a food requiring a bribe must be undesirable

  • Also, restricting a food that adults view as undesirable can increase the child's preference for it

• 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 

Cultural influences on food preferences

• Social learning can also be used to explain cultural influences on eating behaviour, as culture will determine the food that is put on the table and therefore what children observe others eating

• Within a certain culture, norms and values regarding what should or should not be eaten, how much should be eaten, and when food should be eaten are learned through observation and imitation 

• For example, one cultural preference in the UK is that a roast dinner should be eaten on a Sunday; another example could be that a lot of spices and chilli are added to most dishes of Caribbean origin

• Some cultures show differences in food preferences mainly due to environmental reasons, such as availability of certain foods, while differences between others may be based more on religious beliefs

• Eating behaviour may change when people move to another country, which is the acculturation effect

  • Acculturation involves the food preferences of migrating groups adapting towards the diet of the host country

Research which investigates learning theory explanations for food preferences

• Birch (1980) used peer modelling to change children's vegetable preferences by seating each child at school lunchtimes next to three or four other children who preferred a different vegetable

  • After four days the children had switched their preference to the vegetable chosen by their peers, a change still evident several weeks later

    • This supports the social learning theory explanation for food preferences

• Lanfer et al. (2013) used taste tests to compare the food preferences of 1,700 children aged 6–9 years from eight European countries and found no common food preferences, but instead preferences varied, being shaped by cultural influences

• Boyland and Halford (2013) found that TV food advertising influences food preferences in children, with advertisements for foods high in fat, salt and sugar having a stronger influence on overweight children

  • This supports the idea of the media influencing food preference, through social learning and vicarious reinforcement

Evaluation of learning theory explanations for food preferences

Strengths

• Learning theory explanations for food preference have practical applications, as they show how parents can encourage children to learn healthy food choices through modelling behaviour

• Cross-cultural evidence supports learning theory, e.g., Lanfer et al. (2013) found no common food preferences across eight European countries, which is difficult to explain if preferences are innate but is predicted if they are culturally learned

Limitations

• Research into parental influence on children’s food preferences is limited, with generally small-scale studies conducted in Western societies, which means the findings lack population validity, as they cannot be generalised beyond Western samples

• Animal research is often used to investigate learning theory explanations for food preferences, but it is difficult to generalise the findings to humans, who have more complex cognitive processes, which may affect their eating behaviour

Issues & Debates

• Learning theory emphasises the role of environmental factors, such as reinforcement, modelling and cultural exposure, in shaping food preferences

  • This directly contrasts with evolutionary explanations which argue for innate, biologically-driven food choices (nature), highlighting the nurture side of the nature–nurture debate

• Learning theory is environmentally deterministic, suggesting our eating behaviours are shaped by reinforcement and imitation

  • This downplays free will and personal agency in choosing to adopt or reject food preferences, particularly in adulthood