cognition and appetite

Question 1

What does the psychobiological view of appetite suggest?

Answer 1

Eating is a consequence of physiological processes that monitor nutrient status.

Question 2

What are some things the psychobiological model of appetite cannot explain?

Answer 2

• Overeating and the rise in obesity
• Many eating disorders

Question 3

What are the factors involved in the complexity of appetite control?

Answer 3

• States and traits
• Genetics
• Epigenetics
• Individual differences/predisposition

Question 4

What cognitive processes are implicated in eating?

Answer 4

• Perception (taste, smell, food liking, portion size)
• Attention (responsiveness to food cues)
• Awareness of physiological appetite signals
• Memory (recently eaten food, food liking)
• Learning (learned food preferences, expectations)
• Decision making (when to eat, what to eat, healthy choices)

Question 5

What is the Externality Theory in cognitive theories of overeating?

Answer 5

The theory suggests that obese individuals are more responsive to external food cues rather than internal physiological signals of hunger (Schachter, 1968).

Question 6

What is Restraint Theory in cognitive theories of overeating?

Answer 6

Individuals use cognitive processes to restrict food intake due to weight concerns, but this restriction may break down, leading to overeating (measured by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, Stunkard 1985).

Question 7

What is emotional eating?

Answer 7

Emotional eating occurs in response to negative emotions in an attempt to distract from or alleviate those feelings.

Question 8

How is food-related attention measured?

Answer 8

The food dot probe task measures attentional bias for food cues by tracking reaction times when probes appear near food-related cues versus non-food cues.

Question 9

What is attentional bias for food cues?

Answer 9

It refers to a faster reaction time when food cues and a probe appear in the same location, indicating preferential attention to food-related stimuli.

Question 10

What have studies found about food attentional biases in obesity?

Answer 10

Studies show that food-related biases are reliably associated with hunger state, food intake, food craving, and certain eating disorders, but not necessarily with obesity alone.

Question 11

What is the impact of inattention while eating on food consumption?

Answer 11

Inattention while eating, such as watching TV, leads to greater intake and poorer memory of what was consumed (Robinson et al., 2013).

Question 12

How does inattention between meals affect appetite?

Answer 12

Inattention between meals can lead to poor awareness of bodily appetite cues, promoting overeating.

Question 13

How does mindfulness help in controlling food intake?

Answer 13

Mindfulness, by attending to food during meals and training awareness of appetite sensations, can lead to better control of food intake.

Question 14

What is prenatal flavor learning?

Answer 14

It refers to the development of food preferences in utero, where babies can taste flavors in the amniotic fluid, and these preferences influence later food choices.

Question 15

What is the Assimilation Theory of food preferences?

Answer 15

This theory suggests that the sensory experience of food is evaluated based on prior expectations, leading to a more positive evaluation when expectations align with sensory experiences.

Question 16

What is the Contrast Effect in food preference?

Answer 16

When the expected and actual sensory experiences of food are very different, it can lead to a decrease in the perceived quality of the food (e.g., smoked salmon ice cream study).

Question 17

What is Sensory Specific Satiety (SSS)?

Answer 17

SSS is the decrease in the palatability of a food after eating it, while still desiring other foods (e.g., enjoying dessert after a main course).

Question 18

How does Sensory Specific Satiety (SSS) relate to obesity?

Answer 18

Obese individuals show less of a decrease in palatability for foods they’ve just eaten and may still desire other foods, which can contribute to overeating.

Question 19

How does portion size affect food intake?

Answer 19

Larger portion sizes often lead to greater intake, with studies showing increases of 70-80% in consumption when portion sizes are increased.

Question 20

How does the “ideal portion size” correlate with food expectations?

Answer 20

The ideal portion size is influenced by expected fillingness (satiation) and the perceived utility of the food, including how much a person is willing to pay for it.

Question 21

How can modifying perceptions help reduce obesity?

Answer 21

• Establish healthy eating in childhood
• Change the eating environment (e.g., smaller plate sizes)
• Increase expectations that foods will be filling
• Regulate advertising of high-fat, high-sugar foods
• Decrease food variety to promote sensory-specific satiety

Question 22

What role does memory play in eating behavior?

Answer 22

Memory of recent meals can reduce intake at the next meal, as shown in studies where thinking about a recent meal decreased snack intake.

Question 23

How do amnesic patients differ from healthy individuals in eating behavior?

Answer 23

Amnesic patients may eat multiple meals without memory of the last meal, indicating that memory of recent meals plays an important role in controlling intake.

Question 24

How does disruption of memory encoding affect overeating?

Answer 24

Disrupting the encoding of memories while eating can lead to overeating at the next meal, as shown in studies where memory for the last meal was impaired.

Question 25

How might enhancing meal memories reduce overeating?

Answer 25

Interventions that focus on increasing attention to the experience of eating, slowing down eating rate, and discouraging distractions may enhance meal memories and reduce overeating.

Question 26

What are the key cognitive processes that contribute to overeating and obesity?

Answer 26

• Memory of recent meals
• Expectations about portion size and fillingness
• Attention to food cues when hungry
• Sensory preferences developed early in life
• Distractions while eating