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Progressive-ratio Responding for Palatable High-fat and High-sugar Food in Mice
Published on: May 3, 2012
At first sight: how do restrained eaters evaluate high-fat palatable foods?
A Roefs1, C P Herman, C M Macleod
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology (UNS 40), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. a.roefs@psychology.unimaas.nl
Appetite
|December 18, 2004
Summary
Restrained eaters do not necessarily like high-fat foods more than unrestrained eaters. Both groups showed similar food preferences, suggesting differences may lie in craving rather than liking.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Food Science
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Dieting behaviors influence food preferences and consumption.
- Restrained eating is characterized by conscious control over food intake.
- High-fat foods are often targets of dietary restriction and cravings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether restrained eaters exhibit greater liking for high-fat palatable foods compared to unrestrained eaters.
- To explore the automatic evaluation of food palatability in relation to eating styles.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized the affective priming paradigm and the extrinsic affective Simon task.
- These tasks were employed to assess food likes and dislikes, and palatability evaluation.
- Participant eating styles (restrained vs. unrestrained) were a key factor in analysis.
Main Results:
- Both experimental paradigms successfully identified food preferences and indicated automatic palatability evaluation.
- Contrary to the hypothesis, food liking was not significantly influenced by fat content.
- Eating restraint status did not substantially affect participants' liking for high-fat foods.
Conclusions:
- The study found no significant difference in the liking of high-fat palatable foods between restrained and unrestrained eaters.
- It is hypothesized that differences between these groups may manifest in craving rather than outright liking.
- Future research should explore the distinct mechanisms of craving in restrained eating.
