Preliminary Investigation of Effort Expenditure for Food and Monetary Rewards in Loss-of-Control Eating

Loss-of-control eating (LOCE) is present across multiple eating disorder (ED) diagnoses and is associated with greater eating pathology in the general population. Initial research suggests differences in motivation to approach rewards in individuals with LOCE, but few studies directly compare disorder-relevant and general rewards. The current study explored motivation for food and monetary rewards in women with and without LOCE.

Undergraduate women with LOCE (n = 23) and no ED symptoms (n = 24) completed food and money versions of the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT). On each trial, participants chose between a low-effort/low-reward task and a high-effort/high-reward task with varying levels of reward and probability.

Participants with LOCE showed greater effort exertion for money with medium (but not low or high) probability of receipt compared to controls. Participant groups did not differ in their performance on the food EEfRT.

These results suggest that individuals with LOCE will work for a larger monetary reward with a lower probability of receipt compared to controls, indicating heightened motivation for non-food rewards. Future research should explore whether individuals with LOCE show alterations in other aspects of reward processing across stimuli to more precisely identify reward-related treatment targets.