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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.
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The Center for Nutritional Psychology
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The Center for Nutritional Psychology. (2025). Associative Learning. In Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/encyclopedia/associative-learning/
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