According to the evolutionary explanation, why did humans develop preferences for foods high in fat and sugar?

These energy-dense foods were scarce in ancestral environments, so preferring them maximised survival by ensuring adequate calorie intake when available.

What is neophobia in the context of food preferences?

Neophobia is the evolved tendency to avoid novel foods, which served as a protective mechanism against consuming potentially toxic or harmful substances.

How does taste aversion demonstrate biological preparedness?

The association between food and illness forms rapidly after just one pairing and is highly resistant to extinction, even when the illness was not actually caused by the food.

Why is taste aversion considered biologically prepared rather than a typical learned association?

Unlike most learned associations that require multiple pairings, taste aversion can form after just one experience and persists even when the person knows the food did not cause the illness.

What survival advantage does the evolutionary explanation propose for taste aversion?

Taste aversion evolved to prevent repeated consumption of poisonous foods, thereby enhancing survival.

AQA A-Level Psychology 7182

Social Influence

Topic overview Types of conformity and explanations for conformity Conformity to social roles: Zimbardo's prison study Explanations for obedience Resistance to social influence Minority influence Social influence and social change

Memory

Topic overview The multi-store model of memory Types of long-term memory The working memory model Explanations for forgetting Factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony

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Topic overview Caregiver-infant interactions: reciprocity and interactional synchrony Schaffer's stages of attachment Multiple attachments and the role of the father Animal studies of attachment Explanations of attachment Ainsworth's Strange Situation and types of attachment Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation and effects of institutionalisation Influence of early attachment on relationships Cultural variations in attachment

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Issues and Debates in Psychology

Topic overview Gender and culture in Psychology Free will and determinism The nature-nurture debate Holism and reductionism Idiographic and nomothetic approaches Ethical implications of research and social sensitivity

RelationshipsOption 1

Topic overview Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences Theories of romantic relationships Online relationships Parasocial relationships

GenderOption 1

Topic overview Sex, gender, sex-role stereotypes and androgyny Chromosomes and hormones in biological sex Cognitive explanations of gender development Psychodynamic explanation of gender development Social learning theory as applied to gender development Gender incongruence

Cognition and DevelopmentOption 1

Topic overview Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development Piaget's theory of cognitive development Baillargeon's explanation of early infant abilities The development of social cognition

SchizophreniaOption 2

Topic overview Symptoms of schizophrenia and issues in diagnosis Biological explanations for schizophrenia Psychological explanations for schizophrenia Drug therapy for schizophrenia Psychological therapies for schizophrenia The interactionist approach to schizophrenia

Eating BehaviourOption 2

Topic overview Explanations for food preferences Neural and hormonal mechanisms in eating behaviour Biological explanations for anorexia nervosa Psychological explanations for anorexia nervosa Biological explanations for obesity Psychological explanations for obesity

StressOption 2

Topic overview The physiology of stress The role of stress in illness Sources of stress Measuring stress Individual differences in stress Managing and coping with stress

AggressionOption 3

Topic overview Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression Genetic factors in aggression Ethological and evolutionary explanations of aggression Social psychological explanations of human aggression Institutional aggression in prisons Media influences on aggression

Forensic PsychologyOption 3

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AddictionOption 3

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Explanations for Nicotine AddictionOption 3

Topic overview Brain neurochemistry, including the role of dopamine Learning theory as applied to nicotine addiction, including reference to cue reactivity

Explanations for Gambling AddictionOption 3

Topic overview Learning theory as applied to gambling, including reference to partial and variable reinforcement Cognitive theory as applied to gambling, including reference to cognitive bias

Eating Behaviour

Explanations for food preferences

4 things to know
Paper 3

Overview

The evolutionary account of preferences for fat and sugar, neophobia and taste aversion, and the learning and social influences that shape what people eat.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Process

Give the evolutionary explanation for preferences for fatty and sugary foods.

Key term

What is neophobia and what reduces it?

Key term

Define taste aversion.

Process

How do learning and social influences shape food preferences?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
According to the evolutionary explanation, why did humans develop preferences for foods high in fat and sugar?
Model answer
These energy-dense foods were scarce in ancestral environments, so preferring them maximised survival by ensuring adequate calorie intake when available.
2
What is neophobia in the context of food preferences?
Model answer
Neophobia is the evolved tendency to avoid novel foods, which served as a protective mechanism against consuming potentially toxic or harmful substances.
3
Define taste aversion.
Model answer
Taste aversion is a learned avoidance of a food that has previously been associated with illness, which can develop after a single pairing of the food with nausea.
4
How does taste aversion demonstrate biological preparedness?
Model answer
The association between food and illness forms rapidly after just one pairing and is highly resistant to extinction, even when the illness was not actually caused by the food.
5
Why is taste aversion considered biologically prepared rather than a typical learned association?
Model answer
Unlike most learned associations that require multiple pairings, taste aversion can form after just one experience and persists even when the person knows the food did not cause the illness.
6
What survival advantage does the evolutionary explanation propose for taste aversion?
Model answer
Taste aversion evolved to prevent repeated consumption of poisonous foods, thereby enhancing survival.

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