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Associative learning is a psychological process in which an individual forms a connection between two events—such as a stimulus and a response—based on repeated pairings. In the context of eating, this explains how environmental cues (like sights, smells, or routines) become linked with food and can trigger cravings or eating behavior, even in the absence of hunger.
Author and reviewer
Editorial responsibilityReferences and further reading
- Thanarajah, S. E., et al. (2023). Habitual daily intake of a sweet and fatty snack modulates reward processing in humans. Cell Metabolism, 35(7), 1171–1184.e8. View source
- Stevenson, R. J., & Francis, H. M. (2017). The hippocampus and the regulation of human food intake. Appetite, 114, 73–78. View source
How to cite this entry
CNP (2026). Associative Learning. In CNP Encyclopedia Editorial Board (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
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