Exploration of Emotional Regulation in Evaluative Conditioning

This research project explores how tastes and preferences, primarily acquired over the course of life, are formed and modified. To study this, we focus on evaluative conditioning, a phenomenon where a neutral stimulus acquires a positive or negative value after being associated with a pleasant or unpleasant stimulus (e.g., a bakery that sells delicious bread will be appreciated). The main objective is to examine how emotion regulation influences this learning process. Emotion regulation refers to the processes individuals use to modify how they feel and express their emotions. By altering what we feel, emotion regulation could change what we learn from our environment, thus influencing the formation of our tastes and preferences. This project aims to deepen this hypothesis to better understand the mechanisms underlying the learning of tastes and preferences. The implications of this research are diverse. In psychopathology, it could help better understand the formation of anxiety disorders and phobias. In the field of prevention, understanding these mechanisms could improve the effectiveness of campaigns. In human relations, this knowledge could shed light on the formation of prejudices and stereotypes.