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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
07:07
Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
Published on: June 5, 2016
Food cravings consume limited cognitive resources
Eva Kemps1, Marika Tiggemann, Megan Grigg
1School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5001. Eva.Kemps@flinders.edu.au
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied
|September 24, 2008
Summary
Food cravings consume cognitive resources, especially in habitual cravers. This study shows that craving for food impacts cognitive performance by diverting attention away from other tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Eating Behavior
Background:
- Tiffany's (1990) cognitive model of drug use and craving provides a framework for understanding attentional biases.
- Limited cognitive resources are thought to be allocated to salient stimuli, such as cravings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether food cravings, specifically for chocolate, expend limited cognitive resources.
- To examine the role of trait craving in the cognitive costs associated with food cravings.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with female undergraduate students randomly assigned to a craving (24-hour chocolate abstinence, chocolate cue exposure) or control condition.
- Cognitive performance was measured using simple reaction time (Experiment 1) and the operation span task (Experiment 2).
Main Results:
- No overall effect of craving condition on cognitive performance was found.
- A significant interaction revealed that habitual chocolate cravers showed impaired cognitive performance when experiencing cravings, suggesting resource allocation to craving cues.
Conclusions:
- Food cravings, particularly in individuals with high trait craving, consume limited cognitive resources.
- Findings support Tiffany's cognitive model by demonstrating that craving-related cues can interfere with competing cognitive demands.
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