Eating Behaviour

1. Eating Behaviour Unit PSYA3 Miss Bird

2. Essay question (January 2011) Discuss the role of one or more factors that influence attitudes to food. (4 marks A01 and 8 marks A02). Essay plan or essay answer Homework due 

3. AQA A Specification

4. Why do people diet? • What is dieting? • Restraint Theory and the Boundary Model (Herman and Polivy, 1984). • Key studies – Herman and Mack (1975), Wardle and Beales (1988). • Evaluation of Restraint Theory and key studies. • Application of IDA. Today’s lesson

5. What diets have you heard of? • Why do people diet? • What does dieting involve? • Why might some people be more successful at dieting than others? You have 5 minutes. Starter: Pair activity

7. To lose weight and ‘improve’ appearance. • Primary motivation = body dissatisfaction. • A consequence of body dissatisfaction is the need to diet and lose weight in order to change your body size and shape. Why do people diet?

8. Voluntary restriction of food intake in an attempt to encourage weight loss (a behavioural and cognitive intervention). Three basic forms of dieting associated with restriction of food intake: - • Restrict the total amount of food eaten. • Do not eat certain types of food. • Avoid eating for long periods of time. The aim of losing weight then becomes the primary focus when choosing what foods to eat and how much. So…What is dieting?

9. Satiety Max. level Hunger Min. level Normal eater Hunger Diet boundary Restraint TheoryThe boundary model (Herman and Polivy, 1984)Why dieting may lead to overeating Satiety Restrained eater (Dieter)

10. Food consumption is regulated by biological processes to keep food intake within a set range. • Hunger keeps intake of food above a specific minimum level. • Satiety (feeling of satisfaction/fullness) keeps intake of food below a specific maximum level. • Your hunger and satiety levels are determined by your body weight set point (your biology). • Within this set range, eating is regulated by social, environmental and psychological factors. Hunger Min. level Satiety Max. level Set range Restraint Theory: Normal eater Normal eater

11. Dieters tend to have a larger range between hunger and satiety levels than normal eaters as it takes them longer to feel hungry and more food to satisfy them. • Dieters also have a self-imposed, desired intake of food – a cognitive dietary boundary(what they think they should eat and how much). • If they exceed this diet boundary they continue to eat until they reach satiety (which is higher than that of a normal eater). • This consequently leads to overeating. Hunger Cognitive diet boundary Satiety Restraint Theory: Restrained eater (dieter) Restrained eater

12. Answer the 4 questions on the boundary model in your booklet. You have 5 minutes, then Q&A. Independent task

13. Therefore, the boundary model (part of restraint theory) attempts to explain why diets may fail. To summarise…

14. Factors that regulate eating/dieting The role of genetics • Suggested that body weight can be influenced by genetic factors (e.g. inherited; ‘ob’ gene for obesity). • Genes may influence factors such as appetite regulation, metabolic rate and the number of fat cells a person has.

15. The role of social and environmental pressures • Increases in portion sizes of meals can promote overeating. • Exposure to the ‘ideal’ body size and weight in the media can influence food intake(SLT). Cognitive factors • Dieters may impose a cognitively-determined diet boundary to control food intake (thoughts about foods). Factors that regulate eating/dieting

16. Factors that promote overeating in dieters: - • Distress– e.g. extreme anxiety. • Cravings – dieters more prone to experiencing them due to food restrictions. • Pre-loading – portion of food given to people before they are allowed free access to other foods – should suppress appetite but can have the opposite effect in dieters i.e. overeating. Herman et al (2005)

17. Herman and Mack (1975) Pre-load / taste test paradigm 45 femaleparticipants (dieters and non-dieters) were given a pre-load food, either high or low calorie (chocolate or crackers). Participants then told they were taking part in a taste preference test and were left alone to do the taste test in their own time. Observed how much of the food they ate. FINDINGS: The dieters ate more in the taste test if they had the high calorie preload (chocolate). CONCLUSION: Restrained eating can result in over-eating.

18. Read the supporting research by Wardle and Beales (1988). • Outline the APFCC in your booklets. You have 10 minutes, then Q&A. Independent task

19. Implications for obesity treatment • Restraint theory suggests that food restriction can lead to overeating. • However treatment for obesity often recommends restraint as a solution to excessive weight gain. • Although obesity may not be caused by overeating (e.g. ‘ob’ gene), overeating may be a consequence of obesity if restraint is recommended as a treatment (Ogden, 1994). • Therefore not an appropriate treatment for obesity if theory is correct. Evaluation

20. Restraint theory has limited relevance • Restraint theory suggests a link between food restriction and overeating. • Dieters, bulimics and anorexics report episodes of overeating. • However, if trying not to eat results in overeating (according to restraint theory), then how do anorexics manage to starve themselves? • Cannot explain restricting behaviour in anorexics (i.e. avoiding meals, carefully weighing and portioning food) as according to restraint theory, this should result in overeating and weight gain, not severe weight loss. Evaluation

21. In your booklets or on lined paper, identify any relevant IDA for today’s lesson content. You have 10 minutes in pairs. IDA (A02)

22. Methodology. • Gender bias. • Nature vs. Nurture. • Determinism vs.free will. • Reductionism. • Approaches – biological, cognitive, learning. IDA (A02)

23. Research and make notes on ‘The theory of ironic processes of mental control’ by Wegner (1994). There is space in your booklets for this information. Homework 