Remco Havermans

r.havermans@maastrichtuniversity.nl




I investigate the role of basic learning processes in eating behavior. One example of such a learning process involves habituation. Habituation refers to the gradual decline in responsiveness to a stimulus with repeated exposure to this specific stimulus. This decreased responding is the result of learning that the specific stimulus is irrelevant and can be ignored. Habituation is thus referred to as single-stimulus learning. Habituation also plays an important role in the hedonic evaluation of flavors. With the consumption of a specific flavor the experienced pleasantness of that flavor will decrease as compared to other unconsumed flavors; a process termed sensory-specific satiety. I investigate individual differences in sensory-specific satiety and factors affecting the magnitude of this effect.

Another example of a learning process involved in eating behaviors concerns classical conditioning; the learning of an association between two stimuli (stimulus-stimulus learning). The appreciation of a specific flavor can be conditioned through pairing the flavor with a high caloric density (by adding macronutrients) or pairing it with another already liked flavor (e.g., the sweet flavor of saccharine). Such pairings lead to a positive shift in liking and preference of the initially neutral flavor. I am currently investigating whether such conditioning of flavor preferences can be applied to teach children to like the taste of vegetables.

A third example concerns instrumental conditioning; the learning of an association between a particular behavioral response and the consequence of that response (response-outcome learning). When the consequence is satisfying the preceding response is reinforced, but when the consequence is annoying the preceding response is weakened. Instrumental behavior can be regarded as choice behavior; that is, for example, making the choice between a response that will be reinforced or not performing that response and missing out on the reinforcement. Choice behavior may also involve choosing between responding for a highly valued but infrequent outcome and responding for a less valued but more frequent outcome. Research into factors affecting such choice behavior has a long tradition and together with Janneke Giesen I investigate to what degree we can apply this perspective to the understanding of individual differences in food choice. In collaboration with Nicolette Siep and Anne Roefs I also investigate individual differences in the neural representation of the reinforcing value of food.





Giesen, J. C. A. H., Payne, C. R., Havermans, R. C., & Jansen, A. (in press). Exploring how calorie information and taxes on high calorie foods influence lunch decisions. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Havermans, R. C., Giesen, J. C. A. H., Houben, K., & Jansen, A. (in press). Weight, gender, and snack appeal. Eating Behaviors.

Havermans, R. C., & Jansen, A. (in press). Acquired tastes: Establishing food (dis-)likes by flavour-flavour learning. In R. R. Watson, V. R. Preedy, & C. R. Martin (Eds.), International Handbook of Behavior, Diet, and Nutrition. New York: Springer.

Jansen, A., Havermans, R., & Nederkoorn, C. (in press). Cued overeating. In R. R. Watson, V. R. Preedy, & C. R. Martin (Eds.), International Handbook of Behavior, Diet, and Nutrition. New York: Springer.

Papachristou, H., Nederkoorn, C., Havermans, R., van der Horst, M., & Jansen, A. (in press). Can’t stop the craving: The effect of impulsivity on cue-elicited craving for alcohol in heavy and light social drinkers. Psychopharmacology.

Coelho, J., Roefs, A., Havermans, R., Salvy, S.-J., & Jansen, A. (2011). Effects of exercising before versus after eating on dieting and exercise evaluations: A preliminary investigation. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 43(1), 63-67.

Jansen, A., Nederkoorn, C., Roefs, A., Bongers, P., Teugels, T., & Havermans, R. (2011). The proof of the pudding is in the eating: is the DEBQ – external eating scale a valid measure of external eating? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 44, 164-168.

Havermans, R. C., Hermanns, J., & Jansen, A. (2010). Eating without a nose: Olfactory dysfunction and sensory-specific satiety. Chemical Senses, 35(8), 735-741.

Havermans, R. C., Siep, N., & Jansen, A. (2010). Sensory-specific satiety is impervious to tasting other foods with its assessment. Appetite, 55(2), 196-200.

Houben, K., Havermans, R. C., & Wiers, R. W. (2010). Learning to dislike alcohol: Conditioning negative implicit attitudes towards alcohol and its effect on drinking behavior. Psychopharmacology, 211, 79-86.

Giesen, J. C. A. H., Havermans, R. C., Douven, A., Tekelenburg, M., Nederkoorn, C., & Jansen, A. (2010). Will work for snack food: The association of BMI and the reinforcing value of snack food. Obesity, 18, 966-970.

Giesen, J. C. A. H., Havermans, R. C., & Jansen, A. (2010). Substituting snacks with strawberries and sudokus: Does restraint matter? Health Psychology, 29(2), 222-226.

Houben, K., Havermans, R. C., & Wiers, R. W. (2010). Learning to dislike alcohol: Conditioning negative implicit attitudes towards alcohol and its effect on drinking behavior. Psychopharmacology, 211, 79-86.

Jansen, A., Stegerman, S., Roefs, A., Nederkoorn, C., & Havermans, R. (2010). Decreased salivation to food cues in formerly obese successful dieters. Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, 79(4), 257-258.

Giesen, J. C. A. H., Havermans, R. C., Nederkoorn, C., Strafaci, S., & Jansen, A. (2009). Working harder to obtain more snack foods when wanting to eat less. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(1), 13-17.

Havermans, R. C. (2009). Increasing children's liking and intake of vegetables through experiential learning. In R. R. Watson & V. R. Preedy (Eds.), Bioactive Foods in Promoting Health: Fruits and Vegetables (pp. 273-283). San Diego: Elsevier.

Havermans, R. C., Geschwind, N., Filla, S., Nederkoorn, C., & Jansen, A. (2009). Sensory-specific satiety is unaffected by manipulations of flavour intensity. Physiology & Behavior, 97, 327-333.

Havermans, R. C., Janssen, T., Giesen, J. C. A. H., Roefs, A., & Jansen, A. (2009). Food liking, food wanting, and sensory-specific satiety. Appetite, 52(1), 222-225.

Havermans, R. C., Salvy, S.-J., & Jansen, A. (2009). Single-trial exercise-induced taste and odor aversion learning in humans. Appetite, 53(3), 442-445.

Jansen, A., Nederkoorn, C., van Baak, L., Keirse, C., Guerrieri, R., & Havermans, R. (2009). High-restrained eaters only overeat when they are also impulsive. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(2), 105-110.

Nederkoorn, C., Guerrieri, R., Roefs, A., Havermans, R., & Jansen, A. (2009). The interactive effect of hunger and impulsivity on food intake and purchase in a virtual supermarket. International Journal of Obesity, 33, 905-912.

Siep, N., Roefs, A., Roebroeck, A., Havermans, R., Bonte, M. L., & Jansen, A. (2009). Hunger is the best spice: An fMRI study of the effects of attention, hunger and calorie content on food reward processing in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex. Behavioural Brain Research, 198(1), 149-158.

Dibbets, P., Havermans, R., & Arntz, A. (2008). All we need is a cue to remember: The effect of an extinction cue on renewal. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46, 1070-1077.

Jansen, A., Havermans, R., Nederkoorn, C. & Roefs, A. (2008). Jolly Fat or Sad Fat? Subtyping Non-Eating Disordered Overweight and Obesity Along An Affect Dimension. Appetite, 51, 635-640.[Download PDF]

Jansen, A. Vanreyten, A., van Balveren, T., Roefs, A., Nederkoorn, C. & Havermans, R. (2008). Negative affect and cue-induced overeating in non-eating disordered obesity. Appetite, 51, 556-562.[Download PDF]

Thewissen, R., van der Meijden, V.A.F., Havermans, R.C., van den Hout, M., & Jansen, A. (2008). From the office to the pub: The role of smoke relevant contexts on cue-elicited urge to smoke. European Addiction Research, 14, 198-205.

Wiers, R.W., Havermans, R.C., Deutsch, R., & Stacy, A.W. (2008). A mismatch with dual process models of addiction rooted in psychology: A commentary. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31, 460-460.

Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2007). Evaluative conditioning: A review and a model. Netherlands Journal of Psychology, 63, 38-49.

Havermans, R.C., Mulkens, S., Nederkoorn, C., & Jansen, A. (2007). The efficacy of cue exposure with response prevention in extinguishing drug and alcohol cue reactivity. Behavioral Interventions, 22, 121-135. [Download PDF]

Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2007). Increasing children’s liking of the taste of vegetables through flavour-flavour learning. Appetite, 48, 259-262.

Martijn, C., Alberts, H.J.E.M., Merckelbach, H., Havermans, R., & de Vries, N.K. (2007). Overcoming ego depletion: The influence of exemplar priming on self-control performance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 231-238.

Thewissen, R., Havermans, R.C., Geschwind, N., Van den Hout, M.A., & Jansen, A. (2007). Pavlovian conditioning of an approach bias in low-dependent smokers. Psychopharmacology.

Nederkoorn, C., Havermans, R.C., Roefs, A., Smulders, F.T.Y., & Jansen, A. (2006). Impulsivity in obese women. Appetite, 47, 253-256. [Download PDF]

Roefs, A., Quadackers, L., Werrij, M.Q., Wolters, G., Havermans, R., Nederkoorn, C., van Breukelen, G., & Jansen A. (2006). The environment influences whether high-fat foods are associated with palatable or unhealthy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 715-736. [Download PDF]

Thewissen, R., Snijders, J.B.D., Van den Hout, M., Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2006). Renewal of cue-elicited urge to smoke. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 1441-1449.

Havermans, R.C., Keuker, J., Lataster, T., & Jansen, A. (2005). Contextual control of extinguished conditioned performance in humans. Learning and Motivation, 36, 1-19.

Thewissen, R., Van den Hout, M., Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2005). Context-dependency of cue-elicited urge to smoke. Addiction, 100, 387-396.

Wiers, R.W., Granzier, J., & Havermans, R.C. (2005). Context effects on implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions. In: Krank, M., Wall, A., Stewart, S. H., Wiers, R. W. & Goldman, M.S. (Eds.) Context effects on alcohol cognitions. (2005). Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 29, 196-206.

Havermans, R.C., Vancleef, L., Bylois, E., Wiers, R.W., & Jansen, A. (2004). Context dependent access to alcohol-related concepts stored in memory. Alcohol Research, 9, 219-222.

Nederkoorn, C., Smulders, F., Havermans, R., & Jansen, A. (2004). Exposure to binge food in bulimia nervosa: Finger pulse amplitude as a potential measure of urge to eat and predictor of food intake. Appetite, 42, 125-130. [Download PDF]

Wiers, R.W., De Jong, P., Havermans, R., & Jelicic, M. (2004). How to change implicit drug-related cognitions in prevention: A transdisciplinary integration of findings from experimental psychopathology, social cognition, memory and experimental learning psychology. Substance Use and Misuse, 39, 1625-1684.

Havermans, R.C., Debaere, S., Smulders, F.T.Y., Wiers, R.W., & Jansen, A. (2003). Effect of cue exposure, urge to smoke and nicotine deprivation on cognitive performance in smokers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17, 336-339.

Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2003). Increasing the efficacy of cue exposure treatment in preventing relapse of addictive behavior. Addictive Behaviors, 28, 989-994.

Maes, J.H.R., Havermans, R.C., & Vossen, J.M.H. (2000). Factors affecting context specificity of appetitive conditioned responding. Behavioural Processes, 48, 149-157.



Havermans, R. C. (in druk). Werkt mindfulnessmeditatietherapie nu echt, of echt niet? Psychologie & Gezondheid.

Havermans, R. C. (2010). Mindfulnessmeditatie in de geestelijke gezondheidszorg: te veel, te vaak en te vroeg. Psychologie en Gezondheid.

Havermans, R. C. (2010). Over de betovering van mindfulness. Gedragstherapie, 43, 241-250.

Havermans, R., Hermanns, J., & Jansen, A. (2010). Over reukloze verzadiging en het verloren plezier in eten. Psychologie en Gezondheid, 38(3), 111-117.

Havermans, R. C., & Jansen, A. (2010). Over pure hunkering en zoete troost van volvette chocola. Psycholoog, 45, 8-15.

Havermans, R. C., & Wiers, R. W. (2010). Makkelijk meer, moeilijk minder - Verslaving. In A. Jansen, M. A. van den Hout, & H. Merckelbach (Eds.), GEK: Experimentele Psychopathologie. Bohn Stafleu & van Loghum.

Havermans, R. C., & Jansen, A. (2010). Zoete spruiten, bittere spruitjes; hoe kinderen groente leren lekker vinden. Psycholoog, 45, 10-18.

Havermans, R. C. (2009). Dwepen met Darwin: De oorsprong der soorten en de psychologie. Psycholoog, 44(11), 552-560.

Havermans, R. C. (2009). Leertheoretische modellen. In I. Franken & W. van den Brink (Eds.), Handboek van Verslaving (pp. 101-114). Utrecht: de Tijdstroom.

Jansen, A., Nederkoorn, C., Roefs, A., Martijn, C., Havermans, R., & Mulkens, S. (2009). Waarom obesitas in de GGZ behandeld moet worden. GZ-Psychologie, 2, 38-44.

Giesen, J.C.A.H., Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2008). (On)gezond leven is een keuze: een gedragseconomische analyse van de homo (on)economicus. De Psycholoog, 11, 613-618.

Siep, N., Havermans, R.C., Roefs, A., & Jansen, A. (2008). Als het plezier in eten verdwijnt: een hypothese over de rol van voedseldevaluatie bij Anorexia Nervosa. De Psycholoog, 7, 405-410.

Havermans, R.C., & Candel, I. (2007). Bekende namen, vergeten personen. Bespreking van ‘Ontregelde Geesten’ van D. Draaisma. De Psycholoog, 42, 657-658.

Havermans, R.C., Jansen, E., Guerrieri, R., & Jansen, A. (2007). Dikke kijkbuiskinderen: of waarom kinderen dik worden van televisie kijken. De Psycholoog, 42, 582-588.

Eelen, P., Perreijn, S., & Havermans, R.C. (2007). Leertheoretische modellen van psychopathologie. In H.T. van der Molen, S. Perreijn, & M.A. van den Hout (Eds.), pp. 107-166, Klinische psychologie: Theorieën en psychopathologie. Groningen: Wolters-Noordhoff.

Giesen, J., & Havermans, R. (2007, 18 maart). Dikke jagers en verzamelaars. Blind! Interdisciplinair Tijdschrift, 11, artikel 7. [Download PDF]

Havermans, R.C., Thewissen, R., Wiers, R.W., & Jansen, A. (2007). Het aanleren van een verslaving: slechte gewoonte of onbeheersbare drang? De Psycholoog, 42, 334-342.

Wiers, R.W., Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A., & Knibbe, R. (2007). Middelgebonden stoornissen en verslaving. In H.T. van der Molen, S. Perreijn, & M.A. van den Hout (Eds.), pp. 723-780, Klinische psychologie: Theorieën en psychopathologie. Groningen: Wolters-Noordhoff.

Havermans, R.C. (2006). Waarom lijners (niet) overeten. Bespreking van academisch proefschrift ‘The disinhibition effect: Tendency toward overeating and not restraint predicts food consumption’ van M. Ouwens. Maandblad Geestelijke Volksgezondheid, 61, 83-86.

Havermans, R.C., van Hout, W., & Le Blanc, P. (2006). Zelfregulatie. De Psycholoog, 41, 586-587.

Jansen, A., & Havermans, R. (2006). Over het nut van de manipulatiecheck, cue exposure en de placebo psychotherapie. Directieve Therapie, 26, 340-347.

Jansen, A., Nederkoorn, C., Smeets, T., Havermans, R., & Martijn, C. (2006). Jij ziet, jij ziet, wat ik niet zie: het vertekende lichaamsbeeld van gezonde vrouwen. De Psycholoog, 41, 518-526.

Havermans, R.C. (2005). Geniet…maar niet van alcohol. Bespreking van academisch proefschrift ‘Functional changes in the brains of social drinkers’ van S. Bijl. De Psycholoog, 40(3), 142-143.

Havermans, R.C. (2005). Rattus homunculus. Bespreking van academisch proefschrift ‘Studies on the effects of learning on the event-related potential’ van A. Sambeth. De Psycholoog, 40(4).

Havermans, R.C., Lataster, T., Thewissen, R., & Jansen, A. (2004). Uitdoven is geen afleren: implicaties voor cue exposure therapie. Gedragstherapie, 37, 77-86.

Havermans, R.C., Vancleef, L., Bylois, E., & Jansen, A. (2004). Denken aan drank: de rol van drinkomgeving en drinkervaring. Gedrag & Gezondheid, 32, 175-181.

Havermans, R.C. (2003). Mensen zijn dieren, of niet? Bespreking van academisch proefschrift ‘Humans as an animal model? Studies on cue interaction, occasion setting and context dependency’ van P. Dibbets. De Psycholoog, 38, 659-660.

Havermans, R.C., Mulkens, S., Franken, I., Vanwingh, M., Sanderson, R. & Jansen, A. (2003). Cue exposure met responspreventie bij de behandeling van verslaving. Directieve Therapie, 23, 247-261.

Huijts, A., Jurgens, T., Havermans, R., & Martijn, C. (2003). Opgeven of doorgaan: de invloed van schema-activatie op ego-depletion. In E. van Dijk, M. Hagendoorn, & D. Wigiboldus (Eds.) pp. 151-159, Jaarboek Sociale Psychologie. Delft: Eburon.

Havermans, R.C. (2002). Verslaving, drang, reactietijd en rokende proefleiders. De Psycholoog, 37, 3-8.

Havermans, R.C., & Jansen, A. (2001). Waarom cue exposure met responspreventie in de klinische setting niet effectief is. De Psycholoog, 36, 234-239.

Havermans, R.C. (2000). De onbeheersbare drang. Bespreking van ‘Behandelingsstrategieën bij Ziekelijke Impulsen’ van C.A.L. Hoogduin & C.P.F van der Staak (Red.). Diagnostiek-Wijzer, 4, 177-179.