This editorial is an introduction to the Special Issue “Psychopathological analysis
and intervention for anorexia nervosa: using associative-learning mechanisms”. Although
learning theory was once the theoretical framework of choice for behavioural scientists
interested in mental disorders, in recent decades, learning has been assumed rather than
investigated in clinical research and practice [1]. With the return of the cognitive revolution,
modern associative learning theory has expanded the behaviourist model to suggest more
powerful mechanisms. In particular, changes in behaviour are now explained in terms
of internal processes by which the mental representation of one event (i.e., a stimulus or
response) becomes linked to another in memory through experience. Interestingly, such
associative processes have been observed in the development and regulation of habitual
eating, including our likes and dislikes, choosing foods most appropriate to our current
motivational state, and controlling how much is eaten [2–4]. Regarding disordered eating
behaviour, modern associative learning theory also enables a deeper understanding of the
psychological processes of abnormal behaviour, as well as promoting clinically effective
empirically supported psychological interventions (e.g., see [5,6]). In this sense, associative
processes are now considered among the best candidates to produce reliable findings for
translation into advanced research and, consequently, better treatments for eating disorders
(EDs). Likewise, it is reasonable to expect that, in the coming years, there will be a rise in
the number of papers focused on EDs and associative learning mechanisms.
Moreover, associative learning theory must play an important role in the current
paradigm shifts within the psychopathology of EDs. These paradigm shifts include the Research
Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, precision medicine, experimental psychopathology
and cognitive-behavioural psychopharmacology. Herein is an overview of these
paradigm shifts in EDs (particularly anorexia nervosa) and the potential benefits of considering
associative learning theory, followed by a brief explanation of how the studies in this
Special Issue could advance the field.European Commission
UGR Research and Knowledge Transfer Found-Athenea3i
75444