Explanations of food preferences - EATING BEHAVIOURS

Question 1

what is evolution

Answer 1

The notion that we have adapted to survive in our environment

Question 2

when did we evolve as humans

Answer 2

-between 10,000 and 2 million years ago

-African savannah - our environment of evolutionary adaptation

-We were hunter gatherers living in small groups
-struggle for food daily
-Food preferences can be tracked back to this time

Question 3

what 3 types of food are we argued to have preferences to?

Answer 3

-Sweet

-Salty

-Fatty

Question 4

why do we have a food preference to sweet food

Answer 4

Indicates sugar -> high calorific value -> energy (quick release) -> makes evolutionary sense -> helped us to survive

Question 5

why do we have a food preference to salty food

Answer 5

Salt is useful as it:
-balances waters
-repairs muscles
-makes revolutionary sense

Helps us to survive

Question 6

why do we have a food preference to Fatty food

Answer 6

Fat useful as it:
-provides warmth
-High energy (slow release)
-makes evolutionary sense
helps us to survive

Question 7

Taste Aversion

Answer 7

WE have the ability to detect and reject bitter + sour tastes.

Question 8

why do we have taste aversion

Answer 8

-Indicates the presence of poisons and toxins
-Children are especially sensitive
children haven’t learned what they can eat yet

Question 9

what is Neophobia

when

why

does it diminish

Answer 9

-We have an innate unwilling to eat new or unfamiliar foods

-Most pronounced in childhood (2-6)

-Untried foods are potentially dangerous

-Diminishes once we learn that specific foods will not harm us

Question 10

On the whole, evolutionary psychologists argue that food preferences ….

Answer 10

are innate due to evolutionary advantage

Question 11

LIST Social influences on food preferences

Answer 11

-Classical and operant conditioning

-Social learning

-Family

-Peer

-Media

Question 12

list Cultural influences on food preferences

Answer 12

-Cultural influences

-Cultural norms

-Meat eating

Question 13

key phrases of Classical and operant conditioning influences on food preferences

Answer 13

C.C
-Flavor - flavor association e.g: sugar

O.C: Reinforcement, Rewards e.g: praise

Question 14

key phrases of Social learning influences on food preferences

Answer 14

-Modelling + imitation
-Role models
-Vicarious reinforcement
- Adaptive = eat safe food

Question 15

key phrases of Family influences on food preferences

Answer 15

-Parents = gatekeepers of children’s eating

-parent food preferences

Question 16

key phrases of Peer influences on food preferences

Answer 16

-Leann Birch (1980) p.p children in school.

children seat with peer with different food preference to own, over time food preferences changed to match peers.

Question 17

key phrases of Media influences on food preferences

Answer 17

-Increased independence = other models than parents
-E.g: TV show unhealthy foods using fun themes and identifiable characters

Question 18

key phrases of Cultural influences on food preferences

Answer 18

-Most reliable

determines:
-what food is put on table
-When meals are eaten
-How meals are eaten

Question 19

key phrases of Cultural norms influences on food preferences

Answer 19

-attitudes towards what a ‘proper meal’ is e.g: ‘meat and two veg’ for older generations

Question 20

key phrases of Meat eating influences on food preferences

Answer 20

-many cultural food preferences center around meat
e.g: in France and UK you eat every part of the animal, even offal
in USA they don’t eat offal. Have strong aversion