scholarly journals When Mere Action Versus Inaction Leads to Robust Preference Change

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Chen ◽  
Rob Holland ◽  
Julian Quandt ◽  
Ap Dijksterhuis ◽  
Harm Veling
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Decision Time ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Preference Change ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Consumption Decision

Understanding the formation and modification of preferences is important for explaining human behavior across many domains. Here we examined when and how preferences for food items can be changed by linking mere action versus inaction to these items. In 7 preregistered experiments, participants were trained to consistently respond to certain food items (go items) and not respond to other items (no-go items) in a go/no-go training. Next, to assess preferences, they repeatedly chose between go and no-go items for consumption. Decision time during the choice task was manipulated and measured. Immediately after training, participants chose go items more often for consumption when choosing under time pressure, for both high-value and low-value choice pairs. Preferences were reliably changed in favor of go items for choices between unhealthy foods, between healthy foods, and between healthy and unhealthy foods. Furthermore, preference change was still observed one week after training, although the effect size largely decreased. Interestingly, when participants made choices without time pressure, the effect became weaker and statistically non-significant. These results suggest that preference change induced by mere responding versus not responding is constrained to situations where people take little time to make decisions, and the effect is relatively short-lived. By showing the reliability, generalizability and boundary conditions of the effect, these findings advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of go/no-go training, provide more insights into how the training can be effectively applied, and raise new theoretical questions on how mere action versus inaction impacts preferences.

Integrating Mechanisms and Functions to Understand Behavior

2019 ◽  
pp. xiv-9
Author(s):  
Lisa L. M. Welling ◽  
Todd K. Shackelford
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Affective Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Endocrinology ◽  
Human Psychology ◽  
Proximate Mechanisms ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Influence Behavior ◽  
Evolutionary Perspectives

Evolutionary psychology and behavioral endocrinology provide complementary perspectives on interpreting human behavior and psychology. Hormones can function as underlying mechanisms that influence behavior in functional ways. Understanding these proximate mechanisms can inform ultimate explanations of human psychology. This chapter introduces this edited volume by first discussing evolutionary perspectives in behavioral endocrinology. It then briefly addresses three broad topic areas of behavioral endocrinology: (1) development and survival, (2) reproductive behavior, and (3) social and affective behavior. It provides examples of research within each of these areas and describes potential adaptations. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the importance of integrating mechanisms with function when investigating human behavior and psychology.

scholarly journals A neurobehavioral study on the efficacy of price interventions in promoting healthy food choices among low socioeconomic families

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tannista Banerjee ◽  
Veena Chattaraman ◽  
Hao Zou ◽  
Gopikrishna Deshpande
Keyword(s):  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Calorific Value ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Fiscal Policies ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Status Change ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Given the healthcare costs associated with obesity (especially in childhood), governments have tried several fiscal and policy interventions such as lowering tax and giving rebates to encourage parents to choose healthier food for their family. The efficacy of such fiscal policies is currently being debated. Here we address this issue by investigating how behavioral and brain-based responses in parents with low socioeconomic status change when rebates and lower taxes are offered on healthy food items. We performed behavioral and brain-based experiments, with the latter employing electroencephalography (EEG) acquired from parents while they shop in a simulated shopping market as well as follow up functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the more restricted scanner environment. Behavioral data show that lower tax and rebate on healthy foods increase their purchase significantly compared to baseline. Rebate has a higher effect than lower tax treatment. From the EEG and fMRI experiments, we first show that healthy/unhealthy foods elicit least/maximal reward response in the brain, respectively. Further, by offering lower tax or rebate on healthy food items, the reward signal for such items in the brain is significantly enhanced. Second, we demonstrate that rebate is more effective than lower tax in encouraging consumers to purchase healthy food items, driven in part, by higher reward-related response in the brain for rebate. Third, fiscal interventions decreased the amount of frontal cognitive control required to buy healthy foods despite their lower calorific value as compared to unhealthy foods. Finally, we propose that it is possible to titrate the amount of tax reductions and rebates on healthy food items so that they consistently become more preferable than unhealthy foods.

Cultural and reproductive success in industrial societies: Testing the relationship at the proximate and ultimate levels

1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Pérusse
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Traditional Societies ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The One

AbstractIn most social species, position in the male social hierarchy and reproductive success are positively correlated; in humans, however, this relationship is less clear, with studies of traditional societies yielding mixed results. In the most economically advanced human populations, the adaptiveness of status vanishes altogether; social status and fertility are uncorrelated. These findings have been interpreted to suggest that evolutionary principles may not be appropriate for the explanation of human behavior, especially in modern environments. The present study tests the adaptiveness of social status with actual mating and reproductive data in a representative sample of males from an industrial society. Reproductive success, even when assessed by a more reliable measure ofactualmale fertility than the one commonly used, fails to correlate with social status. In striking contrast, however, status is found to be highly correlated withpotentialfertility, as estimated from copulation frequency. Status thus accounts for as much as 62% of the variance in thisproximatecomponent of fitness. This pattern is remarkably similar to what is found in many traditional societies and would result in a substantial positive relationship between cultural and reproductive success in industrial populations were it not for the novel conditions imposed by contraception and monogamy. Various underlying mechanisms are suggested for these findings, illustrating the value of current behavioral and reproductive data in the study of adaptation. It is concluded that evolutionary explanations of human behavior remain entirely relevant in modern societies.

scholarly journals The development of a healthy eating indicator shopping basket tool (HEISB) for use in food access studies—identification of key food items

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1440-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
AS Anderson ◽  
J Dewar ◽  
D Marshall ◽  
S Cummins ◽  
M Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Shopping Basket ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

AbstractObjectivesTo develop an objective, nutrient-based, healthy eating indicator shopping basket (HEISB) tool for use in studies of access to healthy food.DesignTool development used a literature search to identify previous practice, web information on current definition of healthy foods by the UK Food Standards Agency, and population-based dietary surveys to identify culturally acceptable foods. These findings were then appraised with respect to practical fieldwork considerations.SettingThe review took account of surveys undertaken in a range of geographical areas.ResultsPrevious tools have varied in the foods selected and the rationale for inclusion. Most have considered nutritional composition but no systematic definition has been used and foods have been subjectively classified as ‘less healthy’ or ‘more healthy’. Recent UK work on nutrient profiling enabled individual food items to be objectively assessed for inclusion. Data from national food surveys enabled commonly consumed and culturally acceptable foods to be identified. Practical considerations included item use in meals, convenience, price, and fieldwork constraints. Other issues including health and price discriminators as well as regional preferences were considered. The final HEISB tool comprised 35 items within the following categories – 17 from fruit and vegetables, nine from potatoes, bread and cereal, five from fish/meats, three from dairy, and one from fatty and sugary foods.ConclusionsThe tool provides a rational basis for examining access and availability of healthy foods in cross-sectional and longitudinal retail and consumer studies.

scholarly journals Access and affordability of "healthy" foods in northern Manitoba? The need for Indigenous food sovereignty

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengistu Assefa Wendimu ◽  
Annette Aurélie Desmarais ◽  
Tabitha Robin Martens
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Fresh Milk

Despite widespread concerns about household food insecurity experienced by Indigenous peoples, there is limited empirical evidence about the availability and prices of healthy foods in First Nations rural communities located in northern Manitoba, Canada. To fill this research gap, this study examines the availability and affordability of fresh milk, fruits, vegetables, and several other selected food items; investigates the determinants of food prices; and examines the implications of paying higher food prices for individuals and communities in northern Manitoba. The research findings are based on a survey of fifty-two food items conducted in twenty-two communities and six focus group discussions with mothers, service providers, and community leaders. Our research indicates that in addition to limited availability of healthy foods, food prices in First Nations communities were significantly higher than in Winnipeg or non-First Nations urban centers. We conclude by pointing to some policy implications emerging from this research while also signaling the need for a more substantial and profound transformation that includes decolonizing food systems and building Indigenous food sovereignty.

Loyal past, fickle future: The effects of temporal thinking on consumers' variety-seeking behaviors

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Zhaoyang Guo
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
Temporal Distance ◽  
Novelty Seeking ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Future Event ◽  
Variety Seeking ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

In two studies, we investigated the effect of temporal thinking (past thinking vs. future thinking) on variety-seeking behaviors. In Study 1, 228 Chinese college students were recruited as participants, and they chose promotional items from a simulated supermarket in a behavioral laboratory. The findings indicated that, compared to participants who were not in a temporal-thinking condition, when participants had recalled a past event, they chose items from fewer categories in the promotional gift-selection task, and those who had imagined a future event chose from more categories. We uncovered that familiarity seeking associated with past thinking and novelty seeking associated with future thinking were the underlying mechanisms that presented two different psychological paths. However, in a real-choice task, the temporal-thinking effect was attenuated by self-irrelevant thinking (Study 2, 272 Chinese college students recruited as participants). We also found the temporal distance showed no influence on the temporal-thinking effect, regardless of whether the time cues were given (Study 1) or not given (Study 2).

Assimilating and following through with nutritional recommendations by adolescents

2010 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Pich ◽  
Lluís Ballester ◽  
Mònica Thomàs ◽  
Ramon Canals ◽  
Josep A. Tur
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Nutritional Recommendations ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
School Day ◽  
Varied Diet ◽  
Alcoholic Drinks

Objective: To investigate the relationship between knowledge about a healthy diet and the actual food consumption habits of adolescents. Design: A survey of several food-related aspects applied to a representative sample of adolescents. Setting: One thousand, six hundred and sixty three individuals aged 11 to 18 from 40 schools randomly selected from among all the schools in the Balearic Islands. Method: The survey was administered under the supervision of a researcher during the school day. The adolescents were asked about proper eating habits and invited to classify 43 food items as healthy or not healthy. The subjects later reported the frequency with which they consumed these foods, as well as the types of products they consumed between meals. Results: The adolescents in the sample considered the abundant consumption of vegetables, fish and fruit to be the key to a healthy diet and, as of 15 years of age, recognized the need for a balanced, varied diet. They also correctly identified all the healthy foods, whereas typical fast food items, sweets and alcoholic drinks received highly negative ratings. However, only the girls’ lower consumption of unhealthier products was consistent with this knowledge. The consumption of foods such as vegetables and fish by the older subjects even declined, despite their higher dietary ratings. Three-quarters of the subjects also reported that they customarily snack on calorie-rich food with scant nutritional value. Conclusion: While dietary ratings are consistent and seem to be reinforced by the constant messages in favour of the Mediterranean diet aimed at adults, the minimum impact of this knowledge on the subjects’ habits observed in the study poses the need to seek new communicative strategies that are not exclusively based on providing adolescents with more information on proper diet.

scholarly journals Five Breakthroughs: A First Approximation of Brain Evolution From Early Bilaterians to Humans

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max S. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Evolution ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
First Approximation ◽  
Human Brain Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Origin ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Human Brains

Retracing the evolutionary steps by which human brains evolved can offer insights into the underlying mechanisms of human brain function as well as the phylogenetic origin of various features of human behavior. To this end, this article presents a model for interpreting the physical and behavioral modifications throughout major milestones in human brain evolution. This model introduces the concept of a “breakthrough” as a useful tool for interpreting suites of brain modifications and the various adaptive behaviors these modifications enabled. This offers a unique view into the ordered steps by which human brains evolved and suggests several unique hypotheses on the mechanisms of human brain function.

scholarly journals How Preference Change Induced by Mere Action Versus Inaction Persists Over Time

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Chen ◽  
Rob Holland ◽  
Julian Quandt ◽  
Ap Dijksterhuis ◽  
Harm Veling
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Time Limit ◽  
The Other ◽  
Preference Change ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Consumption Choices ◽  
Making Choices ◽  
Over Time

Understanding how sustainable preference change can be achieved is of both scientific and practical importance. Recent work shows that merely responding or not responding to objects during go/no-go training can influence preferences for these objects right after the training, when people choose with a time limit. Here we examined whether and how such immediate preference change in fast choices can impact choices without time limit one week later. In two preregistered experiments, participants responded to go food items and withheld responses toward no-go food items during a go/no-go training. Immediately after the training, they made consumption choices for half of the items (with a time limit in Experiment 1; without time limit in Experiment 2). One week later, participants chose again (without time limit in both experiments). Half of the choices had been presented immediately after the training (repeated choices), while the other half had not (new choices). Participants preferred go over no-go items both immediately after the training and one week later. Furthermore, the effect was observed for both repeated and new choices after one week, revealing a direct effect of mere (non)responses on preferences one week later. Exploratory analyses revealed that the effect after one week is related to the memory of stimulus-response contingencies immediately after the training, and this memory is impaired by making choices. These findings show mere action versus inaction can directly induce preference change that lasts for at least one week, and memory of stimulus-response contingencies may play a crucial role in this effect.

scholarly journals Beyond Looking for the Rewarded Target: The Effects of Reward on Attention in Search Tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annabelle Walle ◽  
Michel D. Druey
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Search Efficiency ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
Performance Effects ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Response Time Distributions

One puzzling result in training-test paradigms is that effects of reward-associated stimuli on attention are often seen in test but not in training. We focus on one study, where reward-related performance benefits occur in the training and which was discussed contentiously. By using a similar design, we conceptually replicated the results. Moreover, we investigated the underlying mechanisms and processes resulting in these reward-related performance benefits. In two experiments, using search tasks and having participants perform the tasks either with or without individually adjusted time pressure, we disentangled the mechanisms and processes contributing to the reward-related benefits. We found evidence that not only search efficiency is increased with increasing reward, but also that non-search factors contribute to the results. By also investigating response time distributions, we were able to show that reward-related performance effects increased as search time increased in demanding tasks but not in less demanding tasks. Theoretical implications of the results regarding how reward influences attentional processing are discussed.

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