Classical conditioning is also known as Palovian or respondent conditioning that refers to the process of human learning. John Broadus Watson made the proposition in 1913 based on the observations of Ivan Pavlov in the 1890s. The author identified that in every human behavior from speech to emotional reactions are merely patterns of stimulus and response. In a society that is plagued by poor health a significant change in human behavior is required to help improve health outcomes (Jansen, Houben, & Roefs, 2015). It is evident that one of the major causes of a decline in public health is the poor eating habits that have become a normative practice in the modern society. A review of literature on the interventions for poor eating habits will help identify possibility of improving overall health. It is hypothesized that pairing a monetary reward (CS) with healthy food (US) will increase better eating habits.
Over the last few decades, the modern society experienced a drastic increase in the global prevalence of the obesity. Approximately 35% and 11% of adults are considered overweight or obese respectively (Kakoschke, Kemps, & Tiggemann, 2014). This occurrence prompted numerous researchers and scholars to identify the cause for the occurrence of the public health problem. A myriad of factors linked to obesity include attitudes, beliefs, environment, cultural bias, information, and automatic responses to food cues (Schyns, Roefs, Mulkens, & Jansen, 2016). Various studies have identified a significant relationship between contextual cues and behavior promoting an increase in the intake of food whether it is healthy or not (Cohen, & Babey, 2012). Organizations such as fast food restaurants and grocery stores are less concerned about ensuring the overall health of the consumer and devote themselves to achieving the highest profit margins (Houben, Dassen, & Jansen, 2016). The presence of billboards and colored pictures of advertisements in magazines will likely reduce the individual’s ability to self-regulate consumption of unhealthy foods.
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It is also important to note that the behavior of an individual is not entirely at fault in the prevalence of the chronic health issue. Some studies identify the integral role played by genetics as a primary contributor to the development of obesity. However, the “genes only load the gun, the environment pulls the trigger” (Jansen, Houben, & Roefs, 2015). This phrase identifies the strong effect that food cues have on prompting the strong motivation towards unhealthy eating even in the absence of hunger. The individuals react to the unhealthy food cues as they capture attention of the individual due to their attractiveness, rewarding, and palatable nature. Studies have sought to identify the impact of exposure to healthy food cues interventions for overweight and obese women (Jansen, Schyns, Bongers, & van den Akker, 2016). It is evident that despite a sudden increase in desires to eat, there was a gradual decrease noted as the intervention progressed. The research showed the possibility of improving eating habits using positive cues to prompt healthy eating practices.
One theory that explains the relationship between the presentation of food cues and consumption is the stimulus substitution theory of conditioning. Classical conditioning is a learning procedure where a biologically potent stimulus is paired with a stimulus that was previously neutral. The response elicited by the neutral stimulus after repeated pairings is usually associated with the biologically potent stimulus. This description is summarized as the pairing of conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus resulting in unconditional response from individuals (Bongers, van den Akker, Havermans, & Jansen, 2015). Following the stimulus substitution theory of conditioning, Pavlov noted that conditioning does not depict the acquisition of a new behavior rather it is the ability to respond in olden behaviors to new stimuli. In this regard, the individuals will abandon negative lifestyles that affect the individual’s ability to maintain proper health. The research hypothesizes that pairing a monetary reward (CS) with healthy food (US) will increase better eating habits.
The independent variable in this case will be the monetary reward provided to the sample group in terms of US dollars provided in coupons and food stamps. The dependent variables in the study will be the change in eating habits and purchasing more healthy foods in terms of cups that amounts 250ml per cup. The research will incorporate the use of a control and experimentation groups that incorporates individuals who are overweight or obese. The control group will receive alternative measures of reducing unhealthy eating habits while the experimental group will receive the same plus gift coupons and food stamps (Allom, & Mullan, 2015). In the research, the two-way ANOVA will help identify the impact of the different measures of reducing unhealthy eating habits among the control and experimentation groups. The study predicts that the relationship between CS-US (money-healthy food) will help increase healthy eating and people will want to buy healthy food when they spend money at the grocery store.
The drastic increase in the prevalence of obesity and overweight issues in the global population has been a significant cause for concern among individuals in the society. The issue has become a public health issue particularly in the US where approximately a third of the adult population is overweight or obese. Despite efforts to incorporate training of eating healthily and development of healthy dietary menus, there has been little change in the eating habits of the individuals. It is evident that food cues of unhealthy foods have been a primary factor for the development of unhealthy eating habits. In the study, it is hypothesized that pairing a monetary reward (CS) with healthy food (US) will increase better eating habits.
References
Allom, V., & Mullan, B. (2015). Two inhibitory control training interventions designed to improve eating behaviour and determine mechanisms of change. Appetite, 89 , 282-290.
Bongers, P., van den Akker, K., Havermans, R., & Jansen, A. (2015). Emotional eating and Pavlovian learning: Does negative mood facilitate appetitive conditioning? Appetite, 89 , 226-236.
Cohen, D. A., & Babey, S. H. (2012). Contextual influences on eating behaviours: heuristic processing and dietary choices. Obesity Reviews, 13 (9), 766-779.
Houben, K., Dassen, F. C., & Jansen, A. (2016). Taking control: Working memory training in overweight individuals increases self-regulation of food intake. Appetite, 105 , 567-574.
Jansen, A., Houben, K., & Roefs, A. (2015). A cognitive profile of obesity and its translation into new interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 6 , 1-9.
Jansen, A., Schyns, G., Bongers, P., & van den Akker, K. (2016). From lab to clinic: Extinction of cued cravings to reduce overeating. Physiology & Behavior, 162 , 174-180.
Kakoschke, N., Kemps, E., & Tiggemann, M. (2014). Attentional bias modification encourages healthy eating. Eating Behaviors, 15 (1), 120-124.
Schyns, G., Roefs, A., Mulkens, S., & Jansen, A. (2016). Expectancy violation, reduction of food cue reactivity and less eating in the absence of hunger after one food cue exposure session for overweight and obese women. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 76 , 57-64.
