| 课程号 |
21130028 |
学分 |
2 |
| 英文名称 |
The Psychology of Food Choice in Modern Food Systems |
| 先修课程 |
This course is open to undergraduate students from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, nutrition, agriculture, public health, and behavioural sciences and those who are interested in the topic. No prior background in sensory science or psychology is required. |
| 中文简介 |
本课程探讨当代全球食品环境中影响人类食品选择的心理机制。课程借鉴心理学、感官科学和行为科学的研究成果，探究感知、学习、情感和社会情境如何影响饮食行为。主题包括味觉和嗅觉的感官感知、大脑中风味的构建、食物偏好和厌恶的发展、食物恐惧症和厌恶、饮食的文化影响以及与食品相关决策所涉及的认知过程。本课程还将探讨现代食品环境（包括工业化农业、全球食品供应链和新兴食品技术）如何与人类心理学相互作用，从而塑造饮食模式。 |
| 英文简介 |
Overview: This course examines the psychological mechanisms that shape human food choices within contemporary global food environments. Drawing on research from psychology, sensory science, and behavioural science, the course explores how perception, learning, emotion, and social context influence eating behaviour. Topics include sensory perception of taste and smell, the construction of flavour in the brain, development of food preferences and aversions, food neophobia and disgust, cultural influences on diet, and cognitive processes involved in food-related decision making. The course will also consider how modern food environments – including industrial agriculture, global food supply chains, and emerging food technologies – interact with human psychology to shape dietary patterns.
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| 开课院系 |
现代农学院 |
| 成绩记载方式 |
等级制 |
| 通识课所属系列 |
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| 授课语言 |
英文 |
| 教材 |
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| 参考书 |
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| 教学大纲 |
Introduce the psychological foundations of human food behaviour
Provide an overview of sensory physiology and perception related to taste, smell, and flavour
Examine how sensory perception, cognition, and emotion influence food choices and eating behaviour
Explore how cultural, social, and environmental contexts shape dietary patterns
Develop students’ ability to critically evaluate scientific research on food choice and eating behaviour
Session 1: Introduction – The Science of Food Choice
Date: 6 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session introduces the course and outlines the central question of food psychology: why humans eat what they eat. The lecture introduces the interdisciplinary nature of food behaviour research, linking psychology, sensory science, nutrition, and food systems. The structure of the course, assignments, and expectations will also be explained.
Questions:
Why do humans choose certain foods and reject others?
What roles do biology, psychology, and culture play in food choice?
How can food behaviour be studied scientifically?
Readings, Websites or Video Clips:
Rozin, P. (2007). Food and eating. Handbook of cultural psychology, 2, 447-477.
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz (open-book)
________________________________________
Session 2: Sensory Physiology of Gustation and Olfaction
Date: 7 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session introduces the physiological foundations of taste and smell, the two primary sensory systems involved in flavour perception. The lecture will cover the structure and function of taste receptors, the five basic taste modalities (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami), and the neural pathways involved in gustatory processing. The olfactory system will also be introduced, including the role of olfactory receptors, the olfactory bulb, and the neural mechanisms underlying odour perception.
Questions:
What are the biological mechanisms underlying taste and smell?
How do gustatory and olfactory systems interact to produce flavour perception?
Why do humans show strong preferences for certain taste qualities (e.g., sweet) and aversions to others (e.g., bitter)?
Readings, Websites or Video Clips:
Chandrashekar, J., Hoon, M. A., Ryba, N. J., & Zuker, C. S. (2006). The receptors and cells for mammalian taste. Nature.
Shepherd, G. M. (2006). Smell images and the flavour system in the human brain. Nature, 444(7117), 316-321.
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz (open-book)
________________________________________
Session 3: Inter-individual differences in sensory sensitivities and perception
Date: 8 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This lecture explores biological variation in sensory perception, including genetic differences in taste sensitivity, supertasting, and individual differences in smell perception. The implications of sensory variability for diet and food preferences are discussed.
Questions:
Why do people perceive the same food differently?
What role does genetics play in taste perception?
How do sensory differences shape food preferences?
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz
________________________________________
Session 4: Development of Food-Related Preference and Traits
Date: 9 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session examines how food preferences develop across the lifespan and why individuals differ in their responses to foods. The lecture will introduce developmental mechanisms shaping food preferences, including early exposure, learning processes, and repeated experience. In addition, the session will discuss stable individual traits that influence food behaviour, such as food neophobia, sensory sensitivity, and genetic differences in taste perception.
Questions:
How do food preferences develop during childhood and adulthood?
What psychological and biological factors shape individual differences in food preferences?
Why do some individuals show strong reluctance to try new foods?
Readings, Websites or Video Clips:
Birch, L. L. (1999). Development of food preferences. Annual Review of Nutrition.
Pliner, P., `||chr(38)||` Hobden, K. (1992). Development of a scale to measure food neophobia in humans. Appetite.
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz (open-book)
________________________________________
Session 5: Disordered Eating and Psychological Influences on Eating Behaviour (including a post-session tutorial)
Date: 10 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session introduces the concept of disordered eating and examines the psychological factors that contribute to maladaptive eating behaviours. The lecture will explore how cognitive, emotional, and social influences can shape unhealthy relationships with food. Topics will include dieting behaviour, emotional eating, body image concerns, and environmental pressures related to food and weight.
Students will also discuss how modern food environments and social influences may contribute to problematic eating patterns. The session will highlight the distinction between normal variation in eating behaviour and clinically significant eating disorders, while emphasising the importance of psychological research in understanding these behaviours.
Questions:
What distinguishes normal eating behaviour from disordered eating?
How do emotions and stress influence eating behaviour?
What role do social and cultural pressures play in shaping eating patterns?
Assignments for this session:
Students will work in small groups to present on different maladaptive eating phenomena (e.g., emotional eating, binge eating, restrictive dieting, orthorexia, or food addiction). Each group will briefly explain the psychological mechanisms involved and discuss relevant scientific research.
________________________________________
Session 6: Decision-making and Food Choices
Date: 13 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session explores the psychological processes underlying food-related decision-making. While individuals often believe that their food choices are rational and deliberate, research shows that many decisions are influenced by cognitive shortcuts, environmental cues, and contextual factors. The lecture will introduce theoretical frameworks from behavioural science and psychology that explain how people make everyday food decisions.
Questions:
Are food choices primarily rational or automatic?
What cognitive biases influence everyday food decisions?
How do environmental cues shape what and how much people eat?
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz (open-book)
________________________________________
Session 7: Consumer Psychology in Food context
Date: 14 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session introduces key concepts from consumer psychology as they apply to food choice and consumption behaviour. While food selection is influenced by biological and cultural factors, consumer psychology examines how individuals evaluate products, form preferences, and make purchasing decisions in real-world food environments.
The lecture will explore how factors such as branding, packaging, pricing, and product information influence consumer perceptions and food-related decisions. Students will also examine how expectations, prior experience, and marketing cues shape perceived quality, taste, and healthfulness of foods.
Questions:
How do consumers evaluate and choose food products?
How do branding and marketing influence perceptions of taste and quality?
How can consumer psychology help promote healthier food choices?
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz
________________________________________
Session 8: Cross-cultural Perspectives on Food
Date: 15 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session examines how culture shapes food perception, preferences, and eating practices. Although humans share common biological mechanisms for taste and smell, dietary patterns vary dramatically across societies. The lecture will explore how cultural traditions, social norms, historical factors, and food environments influence what people consider acceptable, desirable, or inappropriate to eat.
Questions:
Why do food preferences differ across cultures?
How do cultural norms influence what people consider edible or desirable?
How does globalization influence food culture and dietary habits?
Readings, Websites or Video Clips:
Prescott – guest lecture recording
Prescott, J. (2013). Taste matters: Why we like the foods we do. Reaktion Books.
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz (open-book)
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Session 9: Food and Wellbeing
Date: 16 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session explores the relationship between food, diet, and human wellbeing. Beyond providing basic nutrition, food plays important roles in psychological health, social connection, and quality of life. The lecture will examine how dietary patterns interact with mental and physical wellbeing, and how food-related behaviours influence health outcomes.
Questions:
How does diet influence psychological and physical wellbeing?
What psychological factors contribute to healthy or unhealthy eating patterns?
How do cultural and social food practices influence wellbeing?
Assignments for this session: Post-session online quiz
________________________________________
Session 10: Food Environments and Modern Diets (including a post-session tutorial)
Date: 17 Jul 2026
Description of the Session: This session examines how modern food environments shape dietary patterns and eating behaviour. While individual preferences and decisions influence food choice, these choices are also strongly shaped by the surrounding environment. The lecture will explore how factors such as food availability, marketing, portion size, and the design of food environments influence what and how much people eat.
Questions:
What role do availability, marketing, and food presentation play in shaping food choices?
How do modern food systems influence patterns of consumption?
Readings, Websites or Video Clips:
Swinburn, B. A., et al. (2011). The global obesity pandemic: Shaped by global drivers and local environments. The Lancet.
Assignments for this session:
Students will work in small groups to present their perspectives on the future of food and eating habits. Each group will analyse potential changes in dietary patterns in response to factors such as technological innovation, changing food systems, cultural shifts, sustainability concerns, and public health challenges. Presentations should draw on concepts discussed in the course and relevant scientific literature.
Assessment 1: Quizzes after each session
Students will complete short quizzes following each lecture. These quizzes are designed to reinforce key concepts introduced in class and to encourage continuous engagement with the course material. Questions may include multiple-choice items, short answers, or brief conceptual explanations related to the lecture topics.
Assessment 2: Group presentations
Students will work in small groups to prepare a presentation analysing a topic related to food behaviour or food perception. Groups will review relevant scientific literature and apply concepts from the course to explain a specific phenomenon (for example, food neophobia, sensory perception differences, cultural food preferences, or responses to novel foods). Each group will present their analysis to the class and lead a short discussion.
Assessment 1: Quiz (50%) - Quizzes will test comprehension of sensory physiology, psychological mechanisms of food choice, and theoretical frameworks introduced during the course. Online delivery.
Assessment 2: Group presentations (50%) - Presentations will be evaluated based on the clarity of explanation, engagement with scientific literature, quality of analysis, and effectiveness of communication. Students will be assessed on both the content of the presentation and their ability to facilitate discussion.
Text Books and Reading Materials
Reading material will be provided during the class.
Academic Integrity Requirement
Students are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. All submitted work must be the student’s own original work. Proper citation of sources is required for all written assignments and presentations.
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| 教学评估 |
刘红中：
学年度学期：25-26-3，课程班：现代食品体系中的食物选择心理学1，课程推荐得分：null，教师推荐得分：null，课程得分分数段：null；
Mei Peng：
学年度学期：25-26-3，课程班：现代食品体系中的食物选择心理学1，课程推荐得分：null，教师推荐得分：null，课程得分分数段：null；
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