An Experimental Investigation of Body Displacement Theory in Restrained Eaters

Body Displacement Theory posits that individuals with eating and weight concerns may mislabel feelings of ineffectiveness as feeling fat. Study 1used a non-clinical sample to create an Implicit Association Test for body image (IAT-BI) to measure implicit body dissatisfaction, as body displacement is thought to be an automatic cognitive/affective process. The IAT-BI was moderately and significantly correlated with explicit measures of body dissatisfaction, body shame, and restrained eating. In Study 2, an experimental manipulation was used to induce ineffectiveness in a non-clinical sample, and effects on implicit and explicit body image and related variables were measured. Contrary to hypotheses, feeling ineffective did not lead to feeling fat in comparison to those in a control condition. These findings may suggest that body displacement was not successfully induced by the manipulation, or that body displacement may be process unique to those with eating disorders. The implications of the study are discussed.

An Experimental Investigation of Body Displacement Theory in Restrained Eaters

Body Displacement Theory posits that individuals with eating and weight concerns may mislabel feelings of ineffectiveness as feeling fat. Study 1used a non-clinical sample to create an Implicit Association Test for body image (IAT-BI) to measure implicit body dissatisfaction, as body displacement is thought to be an automatic cognitive/affective process. The IAT-BI was moderately and significantly correlated with explicit measures of body dissatisfaction, body shame, and restrained eating. In Study 2, an experimental manipulation was used to induce ineffectiveness in a non-clinical sample, and effects on implicit and explicit body image and related variables were measured. Contrary to hypotheses, feeling ineffective did not lead to feeling fat in comparison to those in a control condition. These findings may suggest that body displacement was not successfully induced by the manipulation, or that body displacement may be process unique to those with eating disorders. The implications of the study are discussed.

Food Palatability Directs Our Eyes Across Contexts

It is often believed that attentional bias (AB) for food is a stable trait of certain groups, like restrained eaters. However, empirical evidence from this domain is inconsistent. High-calorie foods are double-faceted, as they are both a source of reward and of weight/health concern. Their meaning might depend on the food-related context (i.e., focus on health or on enjoyment), which in turn could affect AB for food. This study primed 85 females with hedonic, healthy, and neutral contexts successively and examined whether food-related context affected AB for food and if effects were moderated by dietary restraint. Both the mean tendencies of AB for food and variability of AB for food were assessed in a food dot-probe task with a recording of both reaction times and eye movements. Contrary to our hypotheses, AB for food was not significantly affected by either context or the interaction between context and dietary restraint. Instead, liking of the presented food stimuli was related to longer initial fixations and longer dwell time on the food stimuli. In addition, in line with prior research, body mass index (BMI) was correlated with variability of AB for food instead of mean AB for food. In conclusion, this study did not find any support that AB for food is dependent on food-related context, but interestingly, reaction time-based variability of AB for food seems to relate to BMI, and eye movement-based mean AB seems to relate to appetitive motivation.

The effects of dietary restraint and portion-control packaging on snack consumption behaviour

The present study investigated the effects of package size on consumption behaviour when either body image or dietary concerns are activated, in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Portion-control packaging has recently emerged under the assumption that carefully-controlled portion sizes help limit consumption of palatable snacks. While there is reasonably good support for this in most populations, recent findings suggest that portion-control packaging may paradoxically increase consumption for restrained eaters (Coelho Do Vale, Pieters, & Zeelenberg, 2008; Scott et al., 2008). Consistent with prior research, we hypothesized that restrained eaters activated for dieting or body image concerns are more likely to deem larger packaged-sized treats as “unacceptable” and decrease intake. Similarly, activated restrained eaters are more likely to deem smaller packaged-sized treats as “acceptable” and thus paradoxically increase intake. However, the present study did not find support for hypotheses. Theoretical reasons as to why results were not what researchers anticipated are proposed.

The effects of dietary restraint and portion-control packaging on snack consumption behaviour

The present study investigated the effects of package size on consumption behaviour when either body image or dietary concerns are activated, in restrained and unrestrained eaters. Portion-control packaging has recently emerged under the assumption that carefully-controlled portion sizes help limit consumption of palatable snacks. While there is reasonably good support for this in most populations, recent findings suggest that portion-control packaging may paradoxically increase consumption for restrained eaters (Coelho Do Vale, Pieters, & Zeelenberg, 2008; Scott et al., 2008). Consistent with prior research, we hypothesized that restrained eaters activated for dieting or body image concerns are more likely to deem larger packaged-sized treats as “unacceptable” and decrease intake. Similarly, activated restrained eaters are more likely to deem smaller packaged-sized treats as “acceptable” and thus paradoxically increase intake. However, the present study did not find support for hypotheses. Theoretical reasons as to why results were not what researchers anticipated are proposed.

Effects of regular self-weighing on weight management: restrained and unrestrained eaters in first-year university.

Obesity poses a global health concern. Prevention has emphasized the utility of weight monitoring, but its effect on restrained eaters is unstudied. This study examined the interactive effects of self-weighing and restrained eating on the body mass index of first-year university students over a three-month period. Participants (N = 100) were randomized into one of three groups: Group 1 (n = 36) weighed themselves daily; Group 2 (n = 31) weighed themselves weekly; and Group 3 (n = 33) measured their heart rate weekly. Results revealed that weekly weighing assisted in weight control among restrained eaters, while daily weighing led to significant weight gain (p = 0.003). There was modest support for the utility of regular weighing to assist in the prevention of weight gain among unrestrained eaters. Overall findings suggest that interventions designed to aid in weight control should be implemented judiciously. Further consideration of individual differences may ultimately help to tailor clinical and public health recommendations aimed at weight management.

Effects of regular self-weighing on weight management: restrained and unrestrained eaters in first-year university.

Obesity poses a global health concern. Prevention has emphasized the utility of weight monitoring, but its effect on restrained eaters is unstudied. This study examined the interactive effects of self-weighing and restrained eating on the body mass index of first-year university students over a three-month period. Participants (N = 100) were randomized into one of three groups: Group 1 (n = 36) weighed themselves daily; Group 2 (n = 31) weighed themselves weekly; and Group 3 (n = 33) measured their heart rate weekly. Results revealed that weekly weighing assisted in weight control among restrained eaters, while daily weighing led to significant weight gain (p = 0.003). There was modest support for the utility of regular weighing to assist in the prevention of weight gain among unrestrained eaters. Overall findings suggest that interventions designed to aid in weight control should be implemented judiciously. Further consideration of individual differences may ultimately help to tailor clinical and public health recommendations aimed at weight management.

A Dieting Facilitator on the Fridge Door: Can Dieters Deliberately Apply Environmental Dieting Cues to Lose Weight?

Individuals exposed to dieting-related environmental cues have been repeatedly shown to be better able to resist tempting food. This especially applies to restrained eaters who hold a chronic dieting goal. Thus far, mainly short-term effects of environmental dieting cues have been examined and the individuals were typically unaware of being influenced. Yet, it is unclear whether individuals can deliberately apply environmental dieting cues for themselves to facilitate the pursuit of the longer-term goal of losing weight. The present longitudinal study applied a 2 (cue: visually dieting-related vs. visually neutral cue) × 2 (awareness: being aware vs. not being aware of the cue’s facilitating influence) between-subjects design for 6 months (N = 166 participants who started the study; Mage = 47.85 years; 69.9% female; MBMI = 29.07 kg/m2). Our results provide preliminary indications that cue, awareness, and restrained eating interact. The results suggest that high (vs. low) restrained eaters could deliberately apply environmental dieting cues for themselves to facilitate losing weight. However, further studies are needed to explore the effects of environmental dieting cues over a longer period of time.