The assumption is that drinking sweet Diet Coke is basically harmless since it contains no sugar. You will be thinking about this issue from a Pavlovian conditioning viewpoint.

First, read either Woods (1991, p. 488-493) or Woods and Ramsey (2000). Either article explains why eating is a dangerous activity. Eating has more in common with drug use than most realize.

Swithers (2015) explains the conditioning issue with Diet Coke. Focus on the "Mechanisms that might underlie counterintuitive consequences" section. A "sweet taste" is the CS. Remember that every encounter with a CS is a conditioning trial (acquisition or extinction-depending on the outcome of the trial).

1. What is a fundamental problem with the use of artificial sweeteners from a Pavlovian conditioning standpoint?

2. What would be a change that could be made to reduce this issue?

3. What would be another situation where you might expect to see a similar problem in operation?