Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e0242461 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | PLOS ONE |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Apr 2021 |
Abstract
Sweet foods are commonly used as rewards for desirable behavior, specifically among children. This study examines whether such practice may contribute to reinforce the valuation of these foods. Two experiments were conducted, one with children, the other with rats. The first study, conducted with first graders (n = 214), shows that children who receive a food reward for performing a cognitive task subsequently value the food more compared to a control group who received the same food without performing any task. The second study, conducted on rats (n = 64), shows that rewarding with food also translates into higher calorie intake over a 24-hour period. These results suggest that the common practice of rewarding children with calorie-dense sweet foods is a plausible contributing factor to obesity and might therefore be ill advised.
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In: PLOS ONE, Vol. 16, No. 4, e0242461, 14.04.2021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Rewarding behavior with a sweet food strengthens its valuation
AU - Bauer, Jan M.
AU - Schröder, Marina
AU - Vecchi, Martina
AU - Bake, Tina
AU - Dickson, Suzanne L.
AU - Belot, Michèle
PY - 2021/4/14
Y1 - 2021/4/14
N2 - Sweet foods are commonly used as rewards for desirable behavior, specifically among children. This study examines whether such practice may contribute to reinforce the valuation of these foods. Two experiments were conducted, one with children, the other with rats. The first study, conducted with first graders (n = 214), shows that children who receive a food reward for performing a cognitive task subsequently value the food more compared to a control group who received the same food without performing any task. The second study, conducted on rats (n = 64), shows that rewarding with food also translates into higher calorie intake over a 24-hour period. These results suggest that the common practice of rewarding children with calorie-dense sweet foods is a plausible contributing factor to obesity and might therefore be ill advised.
AB - Sweet foods are commonly used as rewards for desirable behavior, specifically among children. This study examines whether such practice may contribute to reinforce the valuation of these foods. Two experiments were conducted, one with children, the other with rats. The first study, conducted with first graders (n = 214), shows that children who receive a food reward for performing a cognitive task subsequently value the food more compared to a control group who received the same food without performing any task. The second study, conducted on rats (n = 64), shows that rewarding with food also translates into higher calorie intake over a 24-hour period. These results suggest that the common practice of rewarding children with calorie-dense sweet foods is a plausible contributing factor to obesity and might therefore be ill advised.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104119960&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0242461
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0242461
M3 - Article
C2 - 33852568
AN - SCOPUS:85104119960
VL - 16
JO - PLOS ONE
JF - PLOS ONE
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 4
M1 - e0242461
ER -