Robert Boakes

Robert Alan Boakes
Robert Alan Boakes
Born	August 21, 1939 (age 87); Streatham, London, England
Education	University of Cambridge (BA); Harvard University (PhD)
Known for	Associative learning; flavour–nutrient conditioning; psychobiology of eating
Notable work	From Darwin to Behaviourism (1984); Pavlov's Legacy (2023)
Awards	Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship
	Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Workplaces	University of Sussex; University of Sydney

Robert Alan Boakes (born 21 August 1939) is a British–Australian psychologist and academic notable for research in experimental psychology, especially learning, behaviour, and associative models in animals and humans. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Sydney, having held the McCaughey Chair in Psychology.

Early life and education

Boakes was born in Streatham, London, on 21 August 1939. He studied in Surrey, attending Lime Grove Primary School, Elm Grove Church of England Junior School, and Kingston Grammar School. After a year as an engineering apprentice at Metropolitan Vickers in Salford, he pursued tertiary studies at the University of Cambridge, completing Natural Sciences (Psychology) and earning a BA with honours in 1963. He received a Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship and completed his PhD in Psychology at Harvard University in 1967.

Academic appointments

1966–1967: Assistant Lecturer, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
1967–1986: Lecturer, University of Sussex
1986–1989: Reader in Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex
1989–1992: Professor of Psychology, University of Sydney
1992–2005: McCaughey Professor of Psychology, University of Sydney
2006: Awarded the title of Emeritus Professor by the Senate, University of Sydney
2006–2024: Annual lectures in the 'Learning and Behaviour' unit and supervision of honours and PhD students, University of Sydney (unpaid)

Research

Boakes founded the Australian Learning Group after relocating to Sydney. His work has focused on:

Associative learning – stimulus–reinforcer associations and Pavlovian–operant interaction
Odor–taste synesthesia – learned sweetness in odors after conditioning
Olfactory conditioning – associative acquisition of taste properties by odors
Associative learning and calories – impact of sweetness and energy content
Instrumental learning – extended training and resistance to extinction
Sugar and obesity – metabolic and behavioural effects of sugar consumption in rats and humans

Research grants

Boakes served as chief investigator on the following Australian Research Council (ARC) grants:

(2000–2002) An associative model of human olfaction (with R. J. Stevenson and M. J. Kiernan)
(2001–2003) Persistence of hedonic conditioning in rats
(2010–2014) The missing calories effect in rats and humans
(2014–2016) Flavour learning and food consumption in rats and humans: Implications for obesity (with K. Rooney)
(2017–2019) Withdrawal from and relapse to sugar drinks: Metabolic and behavioural effects (with K. Rooney)

Selected publications

Books

Boakes, R. A. & Halliday, M. S. (Eds.) (1972). Inhibition and Learning. London: Academic Press.
Dickinson, A. & Boakes, R. A. (Eds.) (1979). Mechanisms of Learning and Motivation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Boakes, R. A., Popplewell, D. A. & Burton, M. J. (Eds.) (1987). Eating Habits. Chichester: John Wiley.
Boakes, R. A. (1984). From Darwin to Behaviourism: Psychology and the Minds of Animals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN ISBN 978-0-521-28012-9
Boakes, R. A. (2023). Pavlov's Legacy: How and What Animals Learn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Journal articles

Stevenson, R. J., Boakes, R. A. & Prescott, J. (1998). Changes in odour sweetness resulting from implicit learning of a simultaneous odour-sweetness association: An example of learned synesthesia. Learning and Motivation, 29(2), 113–132.
Stevenson, R. J. & Boakes, R. A. (2003). A mnemonic theory of odor perception. Psychological Review, 110(2), 340–364.
Dickinson, A., Balleine, B., Watt, A., Gonzalez, F. & Boakes, R. A. (1995). Motivational control after extended instrumental training. Animal Learning and Behavior, 23, 197–206.
Kendig, M. D., Boakes, R. A., Rooney, K. B. & Corbit, L. H. (2013). Chronic restricted access to 10% sucrose solution in adolescent and young adult rats impairs spatial memory and alters sensitivity to outcome devaluation. Physiology & Behavior, 120, 164–172.
Boakes, R. A. & Colagiuri, B. (2013). Juice and calories: The impact of sweetness and energy content on flavour-nutrient learning. Learning and Motivation, 44(2), 75–87.
Boakes, R. A. & Costa, D. S. J. (2014). Temporal contiguity in associative learning: Interference and decay from an historical perspective. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 40, 381–400.

Personal life

Boakes was married to Mary Frances White (1967–1989) and to Margaret June Kirkwood (1997–present). He has three children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

References

↑ SydneyProfile.
1 2 3 4 ResearchProfile.
1 2 3 "Professor Emeritus Robert Boakes". University of Sydney. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
↑ Boakes, R. A. (1977). "Performance on learning to associate a stimulus with positive reinforcement". In Davis, H.; Hurvitz, H. M. B. (eds.). Operant–Pavlovian Interactions. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 67–97.
↑ Stevenson, R. J.; Boakes, R. A.; Prescott, J. (1998). "Changes in odour sweetness resulting from implicit learning of a simultaneous odour-sweetness association: An example of learned synesthesia". Learning and Motivation. 29 (2): 113–132.
↑ Boakes, R. A. (1999). "Olfactory conditioning in humans and rats". Chemical Senses. 24 (6): 627–638. doi:10.1093/chemse/24.6.627.
↑ Boakes, R. A.; Colagiuri, B. (2013). "Juice and calories: The impact of sweetness and energy content on flavour-nutrient learning". Learning and Motivation. 44 (2): 75–87.
↑ Dickinson, A.; Balleine, B.; Watt, A.; Gonzalez, F.; Boakes, R. A. (1995). "Motivational control after extended instrumental training". Animal Learning and Behavior. 23: 197–206.
↑ Kendig, M. D.; Boakes, R. A.; Rooney, K. B.; Corbit, L. H. (2013). "Chronic restricted access to 10% sucrose solution in adolescent and young adult rats impairs spatial memory and alters sensitivity to outcome devaluation". Physiology & Behavior. 120: 164–172.
↑ Spoelma, M. J.; Boakes, R. A. (2021). "Sugar consumption and behavioural inhibition in the rat". Appetite. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2021.105423.

Sources

"Robert A. Boakes – Research Profile". Research.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
"Professor Emeritus Robert Boakes". University of Sydney. Retrieved 15 July 2025.

External links

Professor Emeritus Robert Boakes – University of Sydney

[FOOTNOTESydneyProfile-1] SydneyProfile.

[FOOTNOTEResearchProfile-2] 1 2 3 4 ResearchProfile.

[SydneyProfile-3] 1 2 3 "Professor Emeritus Robert Boakes". University of Sydney. Retrieved 15 July 2025.

[4] Boakes, R. A. (1977). "Performance on learning to associate a stimulus with positive reinforcement". In Davis, H.; Hurvitz, H. M. B. (eds.). Operant–Pavlovian Interactions. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 67–97.

[5] Stevenson, R. J.; Boakes, R. A.; Prescott, J. (1998). "Changes in odour sweetness resulting from implicit learning of a simultaneous odour-sweetness association: An example of learned synesthesia". Learning and Motivation. 29 (2): 113–132.

[6] Boakes, R. A. (1999). "Olfactory conditioning in humans and rats". Chemical Senses. 24 (6): 627–638. doi:10.1093/chemse/24.6.627.

[7] Boakes, R. A.; Colagiuri, B. (2013). "Juice and calories: The impact of sweetness and energy content on flavour-nutrient learning". Learning and Motivation. 44 (2): 75–87.

[8] Dickinson, A.; Balleine, B.; Watt, A.; Gonzalez, F.; Boakes, R. A. (1995). "Motivational control after extended instrumental training". Animal Learning and Behavior. 23: 197–206.

[9] Kendig, M. D.; Boakes, R. A.; Rooney, K. B.; Corbit, L. H. (2013). "Chronic restricted access to 10% sucrose solution in adolescent and young adult rats impairs spatial memory and alters sensitivity to outcome devaluation". Physiology & Behavior. 120: 164–172.

[10] Spoelma, M. J.; Boakes, R. A. (2021). "Sugar consumption and behavioural inhibition in the rat". Appetite. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2021.105423.

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Robert Alan Boakes

Born	(1939-08-21) August 21, 1939 (age 87) Streatham, London, England
Education	University of Cambridge (BA) Harvard University (PhD)
Known for	Associative learning; flavour–nutrient conditioning; psychobiology of eating
Notable work	From Darwin to Behaviourism (1984) Pavlov's Legacy (2023)
Awards	Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship
Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Workplaces	University of Sussex University of Sydney