Taste Aversion
Definition
Taste aversion is a learned response where an individual develops a strong dislike or avoidance for certain foods due to previous negative experiences such as illness after eating those foods.
Analogy
It's like when you eat sushi for the first time and get food poisoning. Even though you know logically not all sushi will make you sick, your brain has made a connection between sushi and feeling ill, causing you to avoid it in the future.
Related terms
Classical Conditioning: A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone. Taste aversion is an example of classical conditioning.
Conditioned Response: In classical conditioning, it's the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. In taste aversion, this would be feeling nauseous at the sight or smell of a certain food.
Unconditioned Stimulus: This refers to something that triggers a natural response without any learning needed. For instance, in taste aversion, getting sick (the unconditioned stimulus) naturally leads to feeling nauseous (unconditioned response).
"Taste Aversion" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (3)
- How could you argue for taste aversion being an adaptive trait?
- What could be a potential ethical issue with conducting research on the effects of taste aversion?
- How would understanding taste aversion be beneficial for someone trying to adopt healthier eating habits?
Resources
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