Mindless eating : the influence of visibility

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Algoma University Archives > Algoma University Theses collection > Psychology series > Mindless eating : the influence of visibility
Creator
Amanda Roy
Date
2009
Physical Description
1.04 MB of textual records (PDF)
General Material Designation
Electronic record, Textual record
Language(s)
English
Bibliographic Information
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.:, OSTMA-PSYC-Roy-Amanda-20090410
Descriptive Notes
Audience: Undergraduate. -- Dissertation: Thesis (B. A.).-- Algoma University, 2009. -- Submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements for PSYC 4105. -- Includes figures, tables, and references. -- Contents: Thesis.
The current study examines awareness of food intake when cues such as visibility and distraction are manipulated. Popcorn was provided in either a clear bowl (high visibility) o a bag (low visibility) while participants were either watching a movie (high distraction) or not (low distraction). Although not statistically significant (due to high variability), there was a pattern towards more popcorn being eaten in the low visibility/high distraction group and less popcorn being eaten in the high visibility/low distraction group. The study also showed that people underestimated how much they ate when they watched a movie and ate a bag of popcorn. Nine out often people in the low visibility/high distraction group were not aware of, and could not accurately report, how much popcorn they ate. We can conclude that although food intake may not always be influenced by visibility and distraction, awareness is influenced by these environmental cues.