Learning Theory Explanations for Food Preferences (AQA A Level Psychology)

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.

Cultural influences on food preferences

• Social learning can also be used to explain cultural influences on eating behaviour, as culture will determine to a large extent 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 - the adaptation of food preferences of different ethnic groups to the diet eaten in the new country 

 Food preferences are affected by culture - children eat what those around them eat.

Research which investigates learning theory explanations for food preferences

• Birch et al. (1980) used peer modelling to change children’s preference for vegetables, by seating those who liked one vegetable next to those who preferred another and found after four days their preferences changed, which 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, supporting the idea of the media influencing food preference, though 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

• There is strong evidence to support the learning theory explanations for food preferences, as cross-cultural studies like Lanfer et al’s have shown that food preferences vary considerably from culture to culture

Weaknesses

• 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 external validity as they cannot be generalised to other populations

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

Link to Issues & Debates: 

Learning theory explanations for food preferences fall on the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate, arguing that eating behaviour is learned through association (classical conditioning), reinforcement (operant conditioning) and observation and imitation (social learning theory), all of which are learned through experience rather than being innate. A more interactive explanation was developed by Menella et al (2005) whose research suggested that genetic influences shape early food preferences in children, but by adulthood culture was the main influence in eating behaviour.

Link to Approaches: 

Learning theory explanations for food preferences are typical of learning theory in general, through the behaviourist approach, explaining learning by association of food with a positive experience (classical conditioning) and positive reinforcement of food preferences through reward or vicarious reinforcement by seeing others’ enjoyment in eating certain foods (operant conditioning). Food preferences are also explained through social learning with families in the media as well as in real life modelling eating behaviour.