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Seeing mum drinking a ‘light’ product: is social learning a stronger determinant of taste preference acquisition than caloric conditioning?

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 55, pages 418–422 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: It was examined whether caloric conditioning or social learning strategies dominate in taste preference acquisition in children. The caloric learning paradigm predicts that eating or drinking artificially sweetened products, which deliver virtually no energy, will not lead to a taste preference whereas the social learning paradigm predicts that seeing important others modelling the eating and drinking of these ‘light’ products will induce a preference for the taste of light products in the child.

Design: In a 2×2 between subjects factorial design, the amount of energy and social modelling was varied.

Setting: The study was undertaken at primary schools in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Subjects: Forty-five children participated and six children dropped out. The 39 children who completed the study (14 boys and 25 girls) had a mean age of 67 months (range 51–81, s.d. 5.6).

Interventions: Each subject took part in nine conditioning trials with an individually selected tasting yoghurt which was not preferred very much at the pre-test.

Results: The children in the combined caloric and social condition showed an increase in their preference for the conditioned taste which was larger than a regression-to-the-mean effect (P=0.007), whereas children in the other groups did not.

Conclusion: Caloric and social learning combined, ie modelling the consumption of energy-rich foods or drinks, is the best way to establish taste preferences. Children more easily learn a preference for energy-rich food that is eaten by significant others than for food that is low in energy and eaten by significant others.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2001) 55, 418–422

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Acknowledgements

The present study was supported by a grant of the Dutch Sugar Bureau. Quest International (Naarden) is gratefully acknowledged for supplying us with the flavours and aspartame. The Holland Sweetener Company is thanked for the quick delivery of more aspartame. The teachers and children of the schools are thanked gratefully for their participation. Fren Smulders and Eric Schouten are thanked for their statistical advice, Chantal Nederkoorn and Brigitte Boon for their comments on the paper, and Marja Hortulanus for her logistic assistance.

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Author notes

  1. A Jansen: Guarantor: Prof dr A Jansen.

  2. A Jansen and N Tenney: Contributors: The Dutch Sugar Bureau (A Balfoort) and AJ co-formulated the general research question. AJ formulated the specific hypotheses and created the experimental design of the study together with NT. NT recruited schools and subjects and collected the data under supervision of AJ. AJ analysed the data and wrote the paper.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    A Jansen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    N Tenney

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  1. A Jansen
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  2. N Tenney
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Correspondence to A Jansen.

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Jansen, A., Tenney, N. Seeing mum drinking a ‘light’ product: is social learning a stronger determinant of taste preference acquisition than caloric conditioning?. Eur J Clin Nutr 55, 418–422 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601175

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601175

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