Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration
Published on: February 6, 2014
Noshing on Chocolate, I Can Do That: Increased Chocolate Consumption in the Chocolate-Modified Bogus Taste Test With
Philipp A Schroeder1,2, Anton Ernst1, Robert Wirth3
1Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Background:
Chocolate is the most craved energy-dense food. Yet, most individuals can limit their chocolate consumption. Here, we investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying chocolate consumption in a chocolate bogus taste test in a cross-sectional experimental design.
Method:
High chocolate cravers abstained from chocolate for a week, followed by a virtual reality chocolate exposure with biometric trajectory recordings of their stopping responses and an ad-libitum bogus taste test of spontaneous chocolate intake. A single-target implicit association task and a computerised stop-signal task served as unstandardised control tasks 1-2 days before chocolate intake.
Results:
Associations of parameters from all tasks with chocolate intake were small (|r| < 0.23). Elastic net models misestimated food intake by min. 160 kcal (generalisation: 180 kcal) and feature selection was only possible with L1 penalty. At the group level, participants showed a more controlled and delayed movement towards chocolate relative to neutral cues, evidenced by lower peak acceleration and peak velocity and faster stopping latency.
Discussion:
The findings demonstrate the complex cognitive-behavioural underpinnings of food intake, food craving and abstinence.
More Related Videos
08:07Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats
Published on: August 24, 2016
05:15Author Spotlight: Accessible M&M-Based Mouse Model for Investigating Binge Eating Disorder - Insights into Eating Behaviors, Anxiety, and Neural Mechanisms
Published on: January 10, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Gustation
Taste Buds and Receptors
Conditioned Taste Aversion
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single exposure...
Self-Regulation