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Rewarding behavior with a sweet food strengthens its valuation
Jan M Bauer1, Marina Schröder2, Martina Vecchi3
1Department of Management, Society and Communication, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Plos One
|April 14, 2021
Summary
Rewarding children with sweet foods increases their food valuation and intake. This practice may contribute to childhood obesity and is potentially ill-advised.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Nutritional Psychology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Sweet foods are frequently used as rewards for children's behavior.
- The long-term impact of using food as a reward on food valuation and consumption is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if using sweet foods as rewards influences their subsequent valuation.
- To examine the effect of food rewards on food intake in both children and rats.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted: one with first-grade children (n=214) and another with rats (n=64).
- Children received a food reward for a cognitive task; a control group received food without a task.
- Rats were studied to assess the impact of food rewards on 24-hour calorie intake.
Main Results:
- Children who received food as a reward subsequently valued the food more than the control group.
- Rats demonstrated increased calorie intake over a 24-hour period when rewarded with food.
- These findings indicate a reinforcement of food valuation and consumption through reward mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Rewarding with calorie-dense sweet foods can increase their desirability and intake.
- This practice may be a contributing factor to the development of obesity in children.
- The use of sweet foods as rewards is potentially ill-advised due to these effects.
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