Explicit and implicit attitudes towards food and physical activity in childhood obesity

This study investigated differences in the explicit and implicit attitudes towards food and physical activities between children with obesity (n=38) and a matched control group (n=38). The implicit attitude was assessed using the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST; J. Exp. Psychol. (50) (2003) 77), a modified version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; J. Personality Social Psychol. (74) (1999) 1464). It was expected that both groups would report a positive explicit attitude towards healthy food and intense physical activities, and a negative explicit attitude towards unhealthy food and sedentary activities. Of particular interest was the hypothesis that children with obesity would have a more positive implicit attitude towards unhealthy food and sedentary activities than the control group. Results revealed no differences between groups in the explicit attitude towards food and physical activity. Children and adolescents with obesity had a more pronounced positive implicit attitude towards food in general. The relevance of these findings in terms of prevention, treatment and further research is discussed.     

影响控制感剥夺的因素及其后果

控制感是指人们相信自己的选择和行为与相应的结果存在一致性的一种认知状态,对人的身心健康都有重要影响。控制感剥夺之后,人会产生不适症状（如习得性无助和抑郁）。例如,长期剥夺控制感会引起习得性无助,甚至导致抑郁。影响控制感的因素包括社会环境、个性气质、生理基础,甚至可能受到基因的调控作用。深入理解控制感剥夺背后的心理机制能增进对人们自身心理特点的了解,有助于预防或干预一些心理疾病的产生。     

The effect of food toppings on calorie estimation and consumption

In this research we examine the effect of adding a food topping to the base food on consumers' calorie estimation and consumption of the augmented food (base food plus topping). We show that consumers underestimate the calorie content of augmented food with an unhealthy base, especially when the topping is healthy. However, consumers are less likely to underestimate the calorie content of augmented food with a healthy base, regardless of whether the topping is healthy or unhealthy. Further, we show that adding a healthy topping to an unhealthy base makes consumers not only underestimate the calorie content but also eat more of the augmented food.     

The need for public policies to promote healthier food consumption: A comment on Wansink and Chandon (2014)

Current approaches to addressing obesity have fallen short. This is largely due to the many environmental forces that undermine people's self-regulatory capacity to be personally responsible for their food choices. Novel insights from the social sciences are needed to inform voluntary, health-promoting actions by companies, institutions, and citizens as well as the design of public health policies. Voluntary interventions that rely on nudges should complement traditional public health strategies such as taxation and restriction of child-targeted marketing in schools. In this commentary, we discuss four food policy issues that would benefit from consumer psychology research: (a) the restriction of food marketing to children, (b) provision of nutrition information through food labels, (c) improving school food environments, and (d) placing limits on portion sizes. Identifying effective solutions for obesity will require approaches that integrate psychological, public health, and legal perspectives and methods.     

Models,monitoring, and the mind: Comments on Wansink and Chandon's “Slim by Design”

Wansink and Chandon have examined the “mindlessness” that is often evident in everyday food intake. In this commentary, we focus on four issues raised by Wansink and Chandon's paper: (1) the distinction between food choice and food intake; (2) their model of food intake (and how it compares and contrasts with our own model of food intake); (3) the role of monitoring in the control of food intake; and (4) the meaning of “mindless” eating. In each case we find value in Wansink and Chandon's proposals but also an opportunity for further analysis and refinement.     

不稳定控制感剥夺损害工作记忆刷新功能

控制感剥夺会阻碍工作记忆中的转换功能,但对工作记忆中刷新功能的影响机制尚不清楚。据此,本文通过两个实验来探究控制感剥夺对工作记忆刷新功能的影响。结果发现,相较于基线水平,无论是通过行为无助任务（实验1）还是通过信息无助任务（实验2）操纵的稳定控制感剥夺均未阻碍随后的刷新任务;但在不稳定控制感剥夺的条件下（实验2）,刷新任务的成绩显著降低。这表明,控制感剥夺对工作记忆刷新功能的影响依赖于对其操纵的稳定性。     

Content Hungry: How the Nutrition of Food Media Influences Social Media Engagement

What motivates people to consume and engage with food media on social networks? We adopt an evolutionary lens to suggest that the valence of people’s affective state varies by the implied caloric density of food media, which has a direct impact on social media engagement. First, we analyze a catalog of Buzzfeed’s Tasty videos based on nutritional content derived from the dish’s ingredients and find that visualizing caloric density (i.e., calories per serving) positively influences likes, comments, and shares on Facebook. We then replicate this phenomenon in an experiment, providing preliminary evidence for the role of affect as an explanatory mechanism. We conclude by isolating the role of affect with a classic misattribution task, which attenuates the elevated engagement resulting from exposure to calorie-dense food media. These findings contribute to the dialogue on the antecedents of social media engagement and offer implications for content developers, advertisers, consumer health advocates, and policymakers.     

城镇化进程中离乡农民心理健康特点调查及心理素质、相对剥夺感的影响机制

为探讨城镇化进程中离乡农民的心理健康特点以及心理素质、相对剥夺感对其的影响,通过量表对1339名城乡居民进行调查。结果发现:离乡与留乡农民在幸福感、拥有生命意义感、感知控制感、心理素质方面显著低于城镇居民,在状态焦虑方面显著高于城镇居民; 离乡农民在抑郁上显著高于城镇居民,在感知控制感上显著高于留乡农民,在心理素质上显著低于留乡农民; 留乡农民在相对剥夺感上显著高于城镇居民; 离乡农民的幸福感、拥有生命意义感、感知控制感态与相对剥夺感呈显著负相关,与心理素质呈显著正相关; 离乡农民的抑郁、状态焦虑与相对剥夺感呈显著正相关,与心理素质呈显著负相关; 离乡农民的相对剥夺感与心理素质之间呈显著负相关。心理素质除了可以直接预测心理健康各项指标,还可以通过相对剥夺感的中介作用,间接预测幸福感、抑郁及状态焦虑。提升心理素质和降低相对剥夺感是离乡农民心理健康服务的重要切入点。     

相对剥夺感影响网络集群攻击行为：一个有调节的双路径模型

以598名大学生为被试,采用问卷法考察群体相对剥夺与网络集群攻击行为的关系,检验以群体愤怒和群体效能为中介变量的双路径模型及群体认同在双路径模型中所发挥的调节作用。结果发现：（1）群体相对剥夺显著正向预测网络集群攻击行为;（2）群体愤怒和群体效能在群体相对剥夺与网络集群攻击行为之间有中介作用;（3）群体认同在群体相对剥夺通过群体愤怒和群体效能影响网络集群攻击行为的双路径模型中起调节作用。     

Social comparison processes in the experience of personal relative deprivation

Drawing on social comparison and equity theories, we investigated the role that perceived similarity of a comparison target plays in how resentful people feel about their relative financial status. In Study 1, participants tended to choose a comparison target who was better off, and they selected a target they perceived to be more similar than dissimilar along dimensions that surrounded their financial outcomes. In Study 1, perceived relative disadvantage was positively associated with resentment regardless of the perceived similarity of the comparison target. The results of Studies 2 to 5b clarified these findings by showing that being both similar and dissimilar to a target can cause resentment depending on the context. Using hypothetical and real social comparisons, we found that people are more dissatisfied with their financial outcomes when their comparative targets have the same background qualifications (i.e., are similar) but are financially better off (Studies 2, 3b, 4, and 5b). However, we also found that when the comparative financial contexts were similar (i.e., equal affluence), participants were more dissatisfied when their target for comparison had lower qualifications (i.e., was dissimilar; Studies 2, 3a, 4, and 5a). In all cases, perceptions of unfairness mediated the effects of social comparison on financial dissatisfaction. Taken together, these studies address some of the ambiguities around what it means to be similar to a target in the context of social comparisons of affluence, and they underscore the importance of perceived unfairness in the link between social comparison and resentment with one's financial status.