Date Thesis Awarded
5-2010
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Catherine A. Forestell
Committee Members
Pamela S. Hunt
Danielle Currier
Abstract
According to the cognitive capacity theory of attention, individuals have only a limited availability of cognitive resources. Previous research has shown that restrained eaters (i.e., those who typically restrict their intake for weight control) expend a considerable amount of cognitive energy regulating their food intake. As a result, they tend to overeat when these cognitive resources are depleted by engaging in a cognitive task because there are fewer resources available to focus on inhibiting food intake. The purpose of the present study was to test this hypothesis to determine whether the difficulty of a task affected restrained eaters' consumption of a palatable food. We exposed restrained (n=30) and non-restrained (n=23) eaters either to a relatively easy or difficult cognitive computer task. As participants responded to the computer task with their dominant hand, they were exposed to a bowl of chocolate which was placed beside the computer within easy reach of their non-dominant hand. Results indicated that restrained eaters ate significantly less than non-restrained eaters in the heavy cognitive load task, whereas in the light cognitive load task the restrained and non-restrained groups ate similar amounts of chocolate. Thus, contrary to the findings of other studies, restrained eaters were able to continue to control their food intake when exposed to a difficult cognitive task. However, in the easy task food intake may have been disinhibited due to feelings of boredom. These results highlight the importance of future research to further assess models that attempt to explain the effects of boredom on eating behavior.
Recommended Citation
Schreiber, William Benjamin, "The Effects of Attention on Consumption in Restrained and Non-Restrained Eaters" (2010). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 668.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/668
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Comments
Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.