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Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
Published on: June 5, 2016
Unintentional eating. What determines goal-incongruent chocolate consumption?
Julia L Allan1, Marie Johnston, Neil Campbell
1School of Psychology, William Guild Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2UB, UK. j.allan@abdn.ac.uk
Abstract:
Overeating can be automatically triggered by the presence of palatable food. When presented with an opportunity to consume unlimited chocolate under the guise of a consumer study, chocolate consumption in individuals (n=62) with healthy dietary intentions could be predicted from a psychological measure of cognitive inhibition. Individuals who were less able to suppress goal-incongruent responses in an established inhibitory task: (a) ate more chocolate and (b) had a higher body mass index than others suggesting that these individuals were less able to exert dietary control in the presence of palatable but intention-incongruent foods.
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