Overconsumption of so-called highly palatable (calorie-dense) foods is a contributing factor in obesity. Little is known, however, about the role of the reward system in this overconsumption. In this study, female participants learned to associate a cue with a food reward or a financial reward. When compared with controls, obese participants were found to have impairments in reward-based associative learning related to food but not to financial rewards, suggesting that altered food-based learning might play a part in obesity.