Attitudes to Food and Eating Behaviour Flashcards
What does the SLT state?
Observation of the behaviour of others influences and models an individuals own attitudes and behaviours towards various things, one being EB
Parental modelling is one factor in eating behaviour…
- Children learn attitudes and beliefs from parents
- Attitudes mimicked by children, as food brought into house is controlled by parents
- General link between parents and children attitudes
What did Brown and Ogden find regarding parental modelling?
Consistent pos correlation between children and parents regarding snack intake/eating motivation/body dissatisfaction
What do the results of Brown and Ogdens study show?
Illustrates the effect observation has on a childs attitude and showing SLT taking place
Media is another SLT explanation..what did McIntyre find?
-Media can influence both consumption and attitudes towards certain foods
What happens if a media depicts a certain food as bad?
-People may believe they should avoid this food, particularly if put forward by celebrities who people may identify with
However, why might media only affect individuals to a certain extent?
Influence is limited by personal circumstances such as age, income or culture.
Why might media explanation be deterministic?
Suggests that eating behaviour is somewhat predictable due to preceding, uncontrollable circumstances
Meyer and Gast have provided considerable research support for the SLT explanation of eating behaviour..
- Survey of girls/boys aged 10-12 on their EB
- Positive correlation between peer influence and disordered eating
- Likeability of peers was vital element in the influence
SLT explanation further supported by Birch and Fisher…
-Best predictor of a childs eating habits was their mothers dietary restraints and perceived risk of their child becoming overweight
What do Meyer and Gasts and Birch and Fishers studies show?
Those in the environment held the ability to sway attitudes towards food, giving credit to SLT
What is a methodological flaw of research into SLT
- Survey method
- Eating is a sensitive topic
- Over reporting of idealistic results
What is a limitation of the media explanation of eating behaviour?
- Focus is explicitly on media, specifically fashion models
- However, it is more than simply social learning
SLT explanations tend to focus explicitly on media. However, what is an alternative theory?
- Evolutionists claim that preference for sweet/fatty foods are an evolved adaptation
- Energy rich foods for hunting
- Sweetness helps differentiate toxic foods from safe foods
What does the evolutionary explanation suggest about SLT explanation?
May be limited and reductionist, focusing simply on observation of others and ignoring more complex underlying factors
What is an alternative explanation for eating behaviour aside from media and parental modelling?
Mood
How might mood influence eating behaviour?
- Bulimia sufferers complain of anxiety prior to binge
- Self monitoring studies, 1 hour prior to binging, negative mood state when compared to 1 hour before a meal
- Same findings apply to sub-clinical population
Who confirmed the theory that mood may influence eating behaviour?
Garg
What occurred in Gargs study?
- 38 participants observed as they watched either sad or upbeat film
- Choice of either seedless grapes or buttered popcorn
What were the results of Gargs study?
Sad film - 36% more popcorn than upbeat film.
Upbeat film - signif. more seedless grapes
What did Garg conclude?
Depressive mood will cause people to opt for a snack that tastes good (sudden rush of euphoria) rather than offers health benefits
Positive mood - healthy foods to extend positivity
Why is there conflicting evidence for the effect of mood on eating behaviour?
- Connection between depressive mood and binging
- Mood drops post-binge, so it is unclear why this might be reinforcing if there is little ‘reward’
What does the conflicting evidence for the effect of mood show?
Limits credibility of mood, but does show that moods in eating behaviours can operate both ways
What evidence has been found regarding chocolate?
- Many hold view that chocolate is a comfort food
- However, can prolong negative mood
- Has ability to act as slight antidepressant
What does evidence regarding chocolate show?
Potential bio influence if people eat things they know will place them in a healthier mood state
What is a final limitation of research into attitudes towards food and eating behaviour?
Gender bias - explicit focus on women, rather than attitudes of men
How might homosexuality cause body dissatisfaction?
- Signif risk factor for disordered eating
- Gay may subculture promoting the lean, muscular male body
- Feelings they need to conform to this standard
What does gender bias reflect overall?
- Contrasting M/F differences
- We cannot construct stereotypical beliefs or general theories based on findings from women
- May lack population validity as only applicable to one gender
