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Binary components of food reinforcement: Amplitude and persistence
Leonard H Epstein1, Jeffrey S Stein2, Rocco A Paluch1
1University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, United States.
Appetite
|August 30, 2017
Summary
Food reinforcement has two key factors: persistence and amplitude. Amplitude, reflecting consumption volume, is linked to BMI, suggesting it as a target for altering food intake.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Nutritional Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Food reinforcement is indexed by demand curves.
- Previous research identified amplitude and persistence as components of alcohol and tobacco reinforcement.
- The latent structure of food reinforcement and its relation to BMI remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the latent factor structure of food reinforcement.
- To determine how these factors relate to Body Mass Index (BMI).
Main Methods:
- 297 adults completed food purchasing tasks to assess relative reinforcing efficacy (RRE) measures.
- Measures included intensity, Omax, Pmax, breakpoint, and demand elasticity (α).
- Principal components analysis examined the factor structure of RRE for various foods.
Main Results:
- A two-factor solution emerged: persistence (Pmax, Omax, breakpoint, α) and amplitude (intensity, Q0).
- Persistence reflects price sensitivity, while amplitude reflects consumption volume.
- Amplitude, not persistence, predicted BMI in both studies.
Conclusions:
- The factor structure of food reinforcement is consistent across different samples and food types.
- Amplitude of the food demand curve is associated with BMI.
- Targeting amplitude may be a strategy to modify food intake.
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