Robert Boakes

Robert Alan Boakes
Born	(1939-08-21) 21 August 1939 Streatham, London, England
Alma mater	University of Cambridge; Harvard University
Known for	Associative learning; flavour‑nutrient conditioning; psychobiology of eating
Awards	Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship
Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Institutions	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 career

He began as Assistant Lecturer at the University of Sussex in 1966, advancing to Lecturer and Reader in Experimental Psychology. In 1989, he joined the University of Sydney as Professor of Psychology, became McCaughey Professor in 1992, and retired in 2005. He was granted Emeritus status in 2006. He continued teaching and supervising honours and PhD students—including delivering annual "Learning and Behaviour" lectures through 2024.

Research themes and impact

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

ARC-funded research projects

Boakes served as PI/co-PI for multiple Australian Research Council grants:

• *An associative model of human olfaction* (2000–2002)
• *Persistence of hedonic conditioning in rats* (2001–2003)
• *The missing calories effect in rats and humans* (2010–2014)
• *Flavour learning and food consumption… obesity* (2014–2016)
• *Withdrawal from and relapse to sugar drinks* (2017–2019)

Selected publications

• Stevenson, R. J., Boakes, R. A. & Prescott, J. (1998). "Changes in odor sweetness…". *Learning and Motivation*, 29(2):113–132.
• Boakes, R. A. & Colagiuri, B. (2013). "Juice and calories…". *Learning and Motivation*, 44(2):75–87.
• Boakes, R. A. & Costa, D. S. J. (2014). "How sweet taste influences dietary learning…". *Appetite*, 83:1–6.
• Boakes, R. A. (1989). *From Darwin to behaviourism…*. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-28012-9

Personal life

He 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.