Eating Behavioui Revision

eaLlng behavlour
1here are a number of phys|o|og|ca| processes LhaL lnfluence when and what we eaL

Powever as ln many aspecLs of human behavlour Lhe effecLs of Lhese physlologlcal processes are
medlaLed by psycho|og|ca| and soc|a| ones

Many dlfferenL Lhlngs mot|vate us ln
whaL we choose Lo eaL
when we eaL
how much we eaL lncludlng convenlence
whaL lL looks llke
healLh concern
eLhlcs

ln oLher words our att|tudes
LxLC1AnC? 1PLC8?

pectancy theory explalns how declslons may be made ln dlfferenL slLuaLlons and can be applled Lo
eaLlng behavlour

1he evaluaLlon of any slLuaLlon or ob[ecL comprlses of Lwo facLors
Lhe perce|ved ||ke||hood LhaL Lhe ob[ecL has certa|n attr|butes or may lead Lo certa|n outcomes
Lhe value aLLached has Lhese outcomes (pos|t|ve or negat|ve)
each aLLrlbuLe/ouLcome wlll affecL your evaluaLlon of whaL Lo eaL (eg an aLLrlbuLe may be home
made/boughL or hlgh/low calorles)

lf Lhls Lheory ls Lrue Lhen when we are glven a cholce beLween two foods we should choose Lhe one
wlLh Lhe mosL des|rab|e attr|butes or outcomes (coooet Atmltoqe 2002)










Eating Behavioui Revision

parenLal aLLlLudes and food
preferences
arenLs usually Lhe moLher provlde food for Lhe chlld 1herefore lL ls obvlous LhaL Lhe moLher's aLLlLude Lo
food wlll affecL Lhe chlld's preferences lf Lhe moLher ls concerned over healLh aspecLs of food she wlll work
harder Lo make sure her chlld has a ba|anced d|et lf Lhe moLher ls |ess aware or |ess concerned over healLh
lssues such as obes|ty she wlll Lake less care over Lhe chlld's dleL As expecLed Lhere ls a slgnlflcanL correlaLlon
beLween Lhe dleLs of moLhers and chlldren (qJeo 2007) arenLs especlally Lhe moLher provlde Lhe key ro|e
mode|s for Lhe chlld

Cnce Lhe chlld reaches schoo| peers become more lmporLanL SLudles have shown LhaL mode|||ng uslng
admlred peers can lncrease consumpLlon of frulL and vegeLables (ow uowey notoe 1998) 1hroughouL
chlldhood chlldren are exposed Lo wldespread food adverLlslng Lelevlslon uslng peer mode|s an|mat|on eLc Lo
make Lhe food more attract|ve 1hls can be effecLlve ln deve|op|ng preferences buL unforLunaLely adverLlsed
producLs Lend Lo be hlgh ln faL and carbohydraLes probably conLrlbuLlng Lo problems such as chlldhood
obeslLy
A common Lechnlque used by many parenLs and based on operant cond|t|on|ng rewards consumpt|on of a
dlsllked food wlLh a deslred food 'you can have some lce cream lf you eaL your vegeLables' unforLunaLely
sLudles have shown LhaL whllsL Lhls Lechnlque may work ln Lhe shorL Lerm lL lncreases Lhe deslrablllLy of Lhe
reward food and decreases Lhe llklng for Lhe nonpreferred food (qJeo 2007 8ltcb 1999) Slmllarly
punlshlng poor eat|ng hab|ts by denylng access Lo a deslred food slmply lncreases Lhe preference for Lhe
deslred food
Eating Behavioui Revision

culLural lnfluences
O LaLlng concerns more preva|ent wlLh western women compared Lo eastern
O ody d|ssat|sfact|on and eat|ng d|sorders become more prevalenL as wea|th]c|ass demograph|ca||y
|ncreases

O ood cholce takes p|ace w|th|n a network of soc|a| mean|ngs (qJeo 200J) LaLlng behavlour cannoL
be reduced Lo Lhe b|opsycho|ogy of Lhe lndlvldual cholce of foods eaLlng behavlours also rely on
soc|a| commun|cat|on lndlvldual ldenLlLy parLlcularly cu|tura| |dent|ty
ot exomple Lhe forblddlng of foods ln cerLaln rellglons beef asLlng ls also popular ln some
culLures

O 1he consumpLlon of food plays a centra| ro|e ln soc|a| |nteract|on
group ldenLlLy ln parL ls creaLed malnLalned Lhrough food
Lypes of food are ofLen descrlbed as trad|t|ona| fam||y mea| or the nat|ona| d|sh (qJeo 200J)
culLural dlfferences wlll deLermlne Lo an exLenL whaL food people ln a cerLaln culLure wlll eaL and
whaL ls accepLable Lo eaL how foods are prepared and consumed
food can also be used for severa| purposes such as Lo aff|rm or deve|op persona| re|at|onsh|ps Lo
demonstrate wea|th

O ,ea|t|mes are lmporLanL for chlldren as Lhey learn food preferences and whaL ls deemed
acceptab|e/unacceptab|e (8ooJoto 1997)

O arenLal eaLlng behavlour aLLlLudes and chlldfeedlng pracLlses (deLermlned by cu|ture) sLrongly
lnfluence a chlld's food accepLance

O LaLlng or noL eaLlng cerLaln Lypes of food s one way ln whlch people seek Lo change Lhelr body
shape/s|ze so LhaL lL conforms Lo soc|a| |dea|s ln Western socleLles (where slnce world war Lwo food
shorLages have been common) Lhlnness ln women has been lncreaslngly porLrayed as Lhe |dea|
sLudles lndlcaLe LhaL over half of Lhe 20
Lh
cenLury women have become lncreaslngly dlssaLlsfled wlLh
Lhelr body |mage (eloqolJ Motzello 1998)

O ComparaLure sLudles reveal LhaL dlscrepancles beLween actua| and |dea| body welghL are less
pronounced ln culLures where less emphasls ls placed on Lhlnness (@ottolot 1996)








Eating Behavioui Revision

soclal learnlng Lheory
R 1hree sources Lo mode| eaLlng from
parenLs
peers
medla

R Soclal learnlng Lheory explalns eaLlng behavlour by suggesLlng LhaL a chlld wlll copy or ls |nf|uenced
by flgures LhaL appear lmporLanL or auLhorlLaLlve Lo Lhe chlld AL a young age chlldren become
lnfluenced by parenLs ln Lerms of what they eat when they eat A model provlded by parenLs ls Lhe
only one avallable eers become a nexL porL of call when chlldren wanL Lo become more popu|ar
Lherefore m|m|c the|r behav|our

R y Lhe age of years chlldren's eaLlng behavlour ls no longer drlven by b|o|og|ca| need buL ls
lnfluenced by respons|veness Lo env|ronmenta| cues (eg peers/parenLs att|tudes as models) abouL
food lnLakes (looet et ol 2002)

LxCSu8L
R 8epeaLed exposure Lo novel food can change a chlld's preferences Lo favour food (810 exposures)
8ltcb ooJ Motllo 1982
R -eophob|a fear of Lrylng new food can change wlLh exposure
MCuLLLlnC
R 9arents uoocet (19J8) greater change ln chlldren's food preferences lf Lhe model ls mother fr|end
or ch||d
R 9arents llveto et ol (2002) corre|at|on beLween moLhers' and chlldren's' food lnLake for mosL
nuLrlenLs ln preschool chlldren
R 9eers eooees et ol (1998) of food consumed by ado|escents was slmllar Lo LhaL consumed by
Lhelr fr|ends (Mllk used ln coffee alcohollc drlnks several snack foods)
CCu AS A 8LWA8u
R 8ltcb et ol (1980) |ncreased preferences Lowards food when assoclaLed wlLh pos|t|ve adulL
attent|on
MLAL1lMLS
R h||dren who eaL meals wlLh oLher fam||y members consume more hea|thy food and nuLrlenLs
(tooe et ol 1990)
LA1lnC A1 PCML A1 SCPCCL C8 A1 WC8k
R ln only of famlly's food budged was accounLed for by foods consumed outs|de Lhe home
(oot ooJ CtoobotJ 2004) by Lhe laLe 's more Lhan
R of secondary schools have a vendlng machlne
C81lCn SlZL
R Lack of knowledge of whaL an appropr|ate healLhy porLlon s|ze ls Lhus many people consumed
more 'ecess energy'
R Meyet ooJ Cost (2008) 'correlaLlon beLween parenta| |nf|uence and d|sordered eat|ng' and 8ltcb ooJ
lsbet (2000) 'moLher's dleL predlcLs daughLer's
Eating Behavioui Revision


Lhe success fallure of dleLlng
Accordlng Lo qJeo (2007) Lhese facLors lnclude
1) ,ed|a |nf|uence medla lmages have become sllmmer over Lhe pasL 30 years
2) Iam||y relaLlonshlp beLween moLher and daughLer body d|ssat|sfact|on and d|et|ng
3) thn|c|ty mlxed evldence however research does suggesL eat|ng d|sorders are proporLlonal Lo
exposure of Western ,ed|a
4) Soc|a| c|ass eaLlng dlsorders seem more preva|ent among Lhe h|gher c|asses ( soclal groups)

Some women do lose welghL and malnLaln LhaL welghL loss Powever mosL women regaln Lhe welghL
loss and some end up eaLlng more

LaLlng ls ofLen a parL of soc|a| |nteract|on So lnformlng frlends famlly of we|ght |oss goals should
help reduce Lhe LempLaLlons of food and encourage poslLlve relnforcemenL (and punlshmenL) from
oLhers

LoLs of dleLers also [oln we|ght |oss groups or d|et w|th a fr|end or partner Lo malnLaln moLlvaLlon

uleLs LhaL ofLen lnvolve S18A1LClLS (eg calorle counLlng C1) are effecLlve ln changlng eaLlng
behavlour

qJeo (2000) compared rega|ners obese and ma|nta|ners Lhe laLLer endorsed a psycho|og|ca|
mode| of obeslLy ln Lerms of consequences
Lhe very facL LhaL some peop|e do malnLaln Lhe welghL loss Lhey have achleved Lhrough dleLlng also
suggesLs LhaL resLralned eaLlng does noL necessarlly lead Lo prob|emat|c outcomes for a|| peop|e ln
a|| s|tuat|ons

P?SlCLCClCAL 8LASCnS WP? ulL1S uC nC1 WC8k
?our body has evo|ved Lo cope wlLh chron|c food shortages by |ower|ng your metabo||sm and
protect|ng fat stores ln Lerms of starvat|on exLreme dleLlng Lrlggers Lhls response

lf you Lhen reLurn Lo norma| eat|ng you end up wlLh more excess calorles Lhan before whlch are
Lhen converLed Lo fat Lo overcome Lhe feellng of depr|vat|on durlng Lhe dleL people ofLen also
overeaL afLerwards whlch glves you an even b|gger we|ght ga|n

?ou may Lhen start another ever more resLrlcLlve dleL Lo undo Lhe welghL galn buL Lhls wlll Lhen
reduce Lhe meLabollc raLe furLher and so Lhe paLLern of yoyo d|et|ng conLlnues


S?CPCLCClCAL 8LASCnS WP? ulL1S uC nC1 WC8k
1here ls a |ot of ev|dence Lo suggesL LhaL resLralned eaLlng can lead Lo overeat|ng

netmoo et ol (2005) suggesL Lhree facLors why Lhls may be Lhe case
stress Lrlggers overeat|ng ln restra|ned eaters (people who dleL)
dleLers are more ||ke|y Lo suffer from crav|ngs Lhls may be Lhe cause of Lhelr dleL or Lhe resu|t of lL
resLralned eaLers ofLen have a cogn|t|ve boundary for food lnLake lf Lhey exceed Lhls boundary
Eating Behavioui Revision

(called preload) eaLlng ls dlslnhlblLed

netmoo Moc (1975)
1hls was one of Lhe ear||est sLudles uslng Lhe pre|oad LesL meLhod 1he parLlclpanLs were fema|e students
1hey were Lold lL was a sLudy on taste eper|ences

MeLhod
1hls was an |ndependent des|gn wlLh part|c|pants ln each of Lhe condlLlons
1he flrsL group recelved no pre|oad
1he second group were glven one m||kshake as a pre|oad
1he Lhlrd group were glven two m||kshakes as a pre|oad
Croups Lwo Lhree were asked Lo rate Lhe taste qua||t|es of Lhe mllkshake
All parLlclpanLs were Lhen glven three tubs of |ce creams of dlfferenL flavours and glven m|nutes Lo rate
Lhelr LasLe quallLles
1hey were Lold Lhey could eat as much as they wanted
lnally all parLlclpanLs were glven a quest|onna|re Lo assess Lhelr degree of d|etary restra|nt

8esulLs
or each group parLlclpanLs were dlvlded lnLo elLher h|gh restra|nt (dleLers) or |ow restra|nt (nondleLers) sub
groups netmoo ooJ Mocfound LhaL |ow restra|nt parLlclpanLs aLe |ess of Lhe lce cream ln Lhe two m||kshake
pre|oad condlLlons 1hls ls whaL you predlcL as Lhey would be fu||er afLer Lwo mllkshakes compared Lo one or
zero preloads
Powever h|gh restra|nt parLlclpanLs aLe s|gn|f|cant|y more lce cream ln Lhe one and two preload condlLlons
Lhan ln Lhe zero preload condlLlon ln addlLlon netmoo ooJ Moc found a s|gn|f|cant pos|t|ve corre|at|on
across all parLlclpanLs beLween score on Lhe eat|ng restra|nt quesLlonnalre and amount eaten afLer Lhe two
pre|oads le Lhe h|gher Lhe resLralnL score (Lhe more Lhe parLlclpanLs were aLLempLlng Lo dleL) Lhe more Lhey
aLe afLer two m||kshake pre|oads

Concluslons
netmoo ooJ Moc conclude LhaL Lhe resulLs supporL a boundary mode| of dleLary resLralnL
resLralned eaLers have a cogn|t|ve boundary for food lnLake Cnce Lhls ls overcome (by Lhe mllkshake preload)
Lhe 'what the he||' effecL occurs and eaLlng ls dlslnhlblLed So Lhey eaL more ln Lhe pre|oad cond|t|on Lhan Lhe
zero preload condlLlon Lhe oppos|te pattern Lo norma| eaters

MeLhodologlcal lssues
1he resLralnL quesLlonnalre was glven after Lhe feedlng LesLs so Lhe dlverslon of each group lnLo h|gh and |ow
resLralnL was whaL we call post hoc le afLer Lhe sLudy had been deslgned and carrled ouL ldeally Lhls should
be done before Lhe sLudy buL netmoo ooJ Moc felL LhaL glvlng Lhe quesLlonnalre before Lhe LesLs would have
alerLed Lhe parLlclpanLs Lo Lhe general purpose of Lhe experlmenL 1hls mlghL have b|ased Lhe resulLs lL dld
mean LhaL Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon of hlgh and low parLlclpanLs was dlfferenL across Lhe groups
Eating Behavioui Revision

1he corre|at|on beLween restra|nt scores and food |ntake afLer Lwo preloads ls only suggest|ve orre|at|ons
cannoL show cause and effect and some oLher varlables may have produced Lhe assoclaLlon ot exomple hlgh
resLralnL may be llnked Lo low mood and lL ls Lhls LhaL leads Lo lncreased eaLlng
A flnal polnL ls LhaL no account was Laken for |nd|v|dua| d|fferences Group s|zes were qulLe sma|| (especlally
afLer Lhe dlvlslon of hlgh and low parLlclpanLs) Some parLlclpanLs may have llked Lhe lce cream more or less
Lhan oLhers AlLhough Lhere were dlfferenL varleLles provlded Lo Lry Lo deal wlLh Lhls lL ls sLlll posslble LhaL
dlsllke of lce cream may have blased Lhe resulLs

boundary model
1he model suggesLs LhaL our body we|ght has some sorL of set po|nt and our normal food lnLake does
noL allow our body Lo flucLuaLe much beLween Lhese seL polnLs

1hls ls referred Lo as homeostas|s we eaL more lf welghL reduces vlce versa

estra|ned eaters also seL a cogn|t|ve ||m|t on food lnLake (eg Lhey llmlL Lhe amounL of calorles Lhey
can eaL per meal)

So resLralned eaLers have Lwo poLenLlal boundarles for food lnLake one from Lhe set po|nt and one
from Lhe cogn|t|ve boundary

WPA1 PALnS Wl1P 8LLCAulnC

lf a resLralned eaLer ls glven a h|gh ca|or|e pre|oad LhaL wlll Lake Lhem above Lhe cognlLlve boundary
Lhls dlslnhlblLs Lhelr feedlng behavlour and Lhey wlll eaL unLll full

1hls ls referred Lo as Lhe what the he|| effect

requenL changlng beLween resLralned eaLlng and overeaLlng ls LhoughL Lo wlden Lhe gap beLween
your b|o|og|ca| boundar|es of hunger and sat|ety Lherefore maklng dleLers |ess sens|t|ve Lo saLleLy
cues

uleLers are Lherefore llkely Lo eaL much more Lhan nondleLers before feellng full
LvALuA1lCn
1he boundary model ls a good eamp|e of comblnlng physlologlcal and psychologlcal facLors Lo
explaln eaLlng behavlour

Powever much of Lhe experlmenLal work ls carrled ouL under contro||ed cond|t|ons ln Lhe laboraLory
1hls glves lL h|gh |eve|s of re||ab|||ty buL |ow |eve|s of eco|og|ca| va||d|ty uleLlng ln Lhe real world
may lnvolve more compllcaLed lssues Lhan Lhose sLudled ln Lhe laboraLory

lL does noL speclfy Lhe cogn|t|ve and emot|ona| (affecLlve) processes LhaL lead Lo Lhe 'whaL Lhe hell
effecL'

Eating Behavioui Revision

CLher characLerlsLlcs of resLralned eaLers have been ldenLlfled whlch conLrlbuLe Lo Lhelr problems
malnLalnlng a dleL

8esLralned eaLers (ln common wlLh women dlagnosed wlLh anorexla or bullmla) Lend Lo become
preoccup|ed wlLh food and LhoughLs of food 1hey may Lhen Lry Lo deny LhaL food ls lmporLanL and
suppress Lhelr LhoughLs abouL lL Powever sLudles have shown LhaL when lnsLrucLed noL Lo Lhlnk
abouL someLhlng we usually Lhlnk abouL lL more lL has been demonsLraLed uslng LhoughLs abouL se
mood and wh|te bears (qJeo 2007) 8esLralned eaLers may Lherefore overeat as a rebound effecL
from Lrylng Lo suppress LhoughLs abouL food

8esLralned eaLlng ls assoclaLed wlLh |owered and depressed mood ln addlLlon depresslon ls llnked Lo
|ow se|f esteem So Lhe resLralned eaLers have |ncreased mot|vat|on Lo eaL Powever lf Lhey vlolaLe
Lhelr dleLary llmlL Lhey Lend Lo aLLrlbuLe lL Lo Lhelr own useless naLure and Lhelr lnablllLy Lo sLlck Lo a
dleL So Lhey conLlnue Lo overeat followlng Lhe 'whaL Lhe hell effecL'

uleLlng Lo reduce welghL below Lhe body welghL seL polnL ls also dlfflculL because Lhe body wlll Lry Lo
resLore Lhe seL polnL ln any way lL can esldes lncreased feellngs of hunger Lhe body wlll also resLore
lLs basal meLabollc raLe (M8) as welghL ls losL 1he M8 ls Lhe raLe aL whlch cells burn energy A
lower M8 reduces energy expendlLure maklng welghL loss dlfflculL even on a dleL ewer calorles
are belng Laken ln buL fewer are belng used up Slow welghL loss on a dleL reduces Lhe moLlvaLlon Lo
do lL
LaboraLory sLudles have shown LhaL restra|ned eaters ofLen overeaL afLer h|gh ca|or|e preloads 8evlews of
conLrolled sLudles dleLlng ln Lhe real world slmllarly conclude LhaL reduclng calorle lnpuL Lhrough dleLlng ls noL
an effecLlve meLhod of loslng welghL (Mooo et ol 2007) ln Lhe long Lerm beLween one and Lwo Lhlrds of
dleLers end up regalnlng more welghL Lhan Lhey losL ln Lhe dleL lnally repeaLed aLLempLs of dleLlng (yoyo
dleLlng) can ln Lhe long Lerm lncrease Lhe rlsks of hearL dlsease

So research lnLo dleLlng looks rather depress|ng Powever Lhere ls hope 8esearch suggesLs LhaL successfu|
we|ght |oss ls posslble when comblned wlLh ||festy|e changes (9owell colvlo ooJ colvlo 2007) 1hese lnvolve
low calorle dleLs wlLh llfesLyle changes such as
physlcal exerclse
group and lndlvldual supporL
self monlLorlng Lhe person ls encouraged Lo keep a dlary and records Lo monlLor Lhelr progress 1hls
encourages Lhelr sense of belng ln conLrol

lL ls also lmporLanL Lo seL rea||st|c goa|s AlLhough on average welghL loss was only 7lb on Lhe programmes
revlewed by 9owellet ol lL was susLalned over Lwo years and Lhls level of welghL loss has slgnlflcanL healLh
beneflLs for Lhe overwelghL





Eating Behavioui Revision

welghL loss pharmaco|og|ca|
surg|ca| Lechnlques
lL ls so hard Lo lose welghL by dleLlng LhaL many people Lurn Lo Lhe use of drugs and surgery lnsLead Clven Lhe
wldespread deslre Lo lose welghL especlally amongsL women Lhls ls an exLremely lucraLlve markeL for drug
companles and Lhere are several compounds on Lhe markeL
r||stat Lhls drug prevenLs Lhe absorpLlon of faL from Lhe lnLesLlne so LhaL lL ls excreLed raLher Lhan
processed lnLo faLLy Llssue lL can produce susLalned welghL loss (9owell et ol 2007) buL lL ls
assoclaLed wlLh unpleasanL slde effecLs such as lnLesLlnal dlscomforL and olly fasces

S|butram|ne Lhls acLs on seroLonln paLhways ln Lhe braln LhaL are lnvolved ln braln regulaLlon of food
lnLake Agaln lL can lead Lo slgnlflcanL welghL loss buL unpleasanL slde effecLs lnclude lncreased blood
pressure

urugs are never recommended for |ong term use and as Lhey are noL Lackllng Lhe psycho|og|ca| aspects of
dleLlng welghL galn ls llkely when drugs are sLopped Along wlLh slde effecLs Lhelr use would only be
recommended when obeslLy becomes a serlous LhreaL Lo healLh 1he welghL loss drug |monabant has been
wlLhdrawn ln Lurope over fears LhaL lL leads Lo psycho|og|ca| d|sorders such as an|ety and depress|on

Surgery ls recommended only for Lhe serlous or morb|d|y obese 1he Lwo baslc Lypes are
Gastr|c band Lhls ls a band LhaL ls placed around Lhe sLomach and reduces lLs effecLlve slze
1herefore less food needs Lo be consumed before Lhe person feels full

Gastr|c bypass a Lube ls lnserLed beLween Lhe Lop of Lhe sLomach where Lhe food goes ln and Lhe
duodenum 1hls slgnlflcanLly reduces Lhe effecLlve slze of Lhe sLomach and only small meals can be
eaLen

1hese Lechnlques mean LhaL sLomach facLors ln feedlng are avo|ded and LhaL appet|te ls reduced 1hese
surglcal procedures can be very effect|ve Powever aparL from Lhe dangers of sLomach surgery Lhey are
assoclaLed wlLh s|de effects such as abscesses pneumonla and oLher lung lnfecLlons and have a slgnlflcanL
morta||ty rate of 2per cent 1hey would only be used when obes|ty has become a ||fethreaten|ng condlLlon





Eating Behavioui Revision

neural mechanlsms
Pumans along wlLh all mammals are homeostat|c anlmals 1he Lerm homeostas|s ls Lechnlcally deflned as 'Lhe
malnLenance of a consLanL lnLernal envlronmenL' 1hls means LhaL we Lry Lo keep our body's physlologlcal
conslsLenL wlLhln narrow llmlLs 1he besL example ls body temperature whlch ls regulaLed aL 986degrees lf lL
falls we generaLe heaL Lhrough acLlvlLy or wearlng warmer cloLhes and lf lL rlses we lose heaL Lhrough
persplraLlon or wearlng less Cur body ls deslgned Lo operaLe aL 986degrees and lL ls Lherefore cruclal LhaL we
malnLaln LhaL body LemperaLure
Cur dleL ls essent|a| Lo homeostas|s as lL provldes Lhe nutr|ents LhaL allow physlologlcal processes Lo be
regulaLed beLween narrow llmlLs Cne of Lhe mosL obvlous slgns of homeosLasls ls LhaL ouLslde of Lhe growLh
phases of chlldhood and ln condlLlons such as pregnancy humans regulaLe Lhelr body welghL wlLhln reasonably
narrow ||m|ts
1o malnLaln a cons|stent body we|ght people Lherefore have Lo regulaLe Lhelr eaLlng behavlour and food
|ntake 1o sLudy Lhls we look aL Lhe paLLerns ln eaLlng behavlour eg do we walL unLll we are hungry Lo sLarL
eaLlng? Pow ls Lhe frequency and slze of meals regulaLed so LhaL long Lerm body welghL sLays falrly conslsLenL?
We can flnd some clues ln everyday behav|our

4 We do noL usually walL unLll we feel hungry before we eaL Meals aL leasL ln prosperous countr|es
follow a regu|ar pattern so LhaL hunger ls ant|c|pated and we rarely experlence uncomfortab|e
hunger
4 We usually feel full or saLlaLed aL Lhe end of a meal whlch ls long before Lhe nuLrlenLs have been fully
absorbed lnLo our bodles WhaL slgnals Lell Lhe braln LhaL enough food has passed ln a glven meal?
4 lf Lhe braln mechanlsms conLrolllng eaLlng behavlour are so senslLlve Lo body welghL whaL slgnals
alerL Lhem Lo changes ln body welghL?
1PL ulCLS1lvL 18AC1
1he alm of d|gest|on ls Lo break down food lnLo lLs essenLlal componenLs such as sugar and am|no ac|ds
Lhe process beglns ln Lhe mouth where food mlxes wlLh sa||va
sa||va conLalns enzymes chemlcals LhaL are vlLal ln breaklng down carbohydrates lnLo sugars and converLlng
prote|ns lnLo am|no ac|ds
followlng swa||ow|ng food passes down Lhrough Lhe oesophagus lnLo Lhe stomach where Lhe process of
dlgesLlon conLlnues
ln Lhe stomach food passes Lo Lhe duodenum whlch ls Lhe flrsL parL of Lhe small lnLesLlne 1he duodenum and
sma|| |ntest|ne conLaln a cockLall of enzymes LhaL comp|ete the process of d|gest|on
Lhe producLs of dlgesLlon such as g|ucose and am|no ac|ds are absorbed lnLo Lhe b|oodstream Lhrough Lhe
walls of Lhe small lnLesLlne
Lhe wasLe producLs of dlgesLlon pass lnLo Lhe large lnLesLlne and are exLernally excreLed



Eating Behavioui Revision

lnSuLln Anu CLuCACCn
nsu||n and g|ucagon are Lwo hormones released from Lhe pancreas g|and and Lhey play a vlLal role ln eaLlng
behavlour and body we|ght regu|at|on
nsu||n conLrols b|ood g|ucose |eve|s by allowlng glucose ln Lhe bloodsLream Lo enLer Lhe cells of Lhe body
G|ucose ls Lhe maln energy source for cells and lL ls vlLal Lo Lhelr funcLlon
G|ucagon ls sLored ln Lhe ||ver and ln musc|es and along wlLh faLLy Llssue lL makes up Lhe ma|n reserve of
energy for Lhe body
nsu||n ls also cruclal ln allowlng faLs ln Lhe bloodsLream Lo be sLored as faL or ad|pose
Ad|pose ce||s make up Lhe faLLy Llssue of Lhe body are anoLher key energy reserve 1hey are also lmporLanL
ln deLermlnlng body welghL
ln Lhe condlLlon known as d|abetes lnsulln levels are |ow 1hls can be due Lo damage Lo Lhe cells of Lhe
pancreas gland LhaL secreLes lnsulln (Lype one dlabeLes) whlch usually occurs early ln llfe 1ype Lwo dlabeLes
occurs usually ln laLer llfe when Lhe pancreas gradually falls Lo secreLe enough lnsulln 1hls ls ofLen assoclaLed
wlLh obes|ty ls far more common Lhan Lype one dlabeLes
ln Lhe absence of |nsu||n levels of b|ood g|ucose r|se (hyperglycaemla) and Lhls can have poLenLlally dlsasLrous
consequences lncludlng confuslon dellrlum loss of consclousness and ln Lhe long Lerm hearL aLLacks and
bllndness ulabeLes requlres regular LreaLmenL wlLh lnsulln alLhough Lhls had Lo be carefully monlLored 1oo
much lnsulln means LhaL more glucose ls sLored wlLhln cells Lherefore blood levels of glucose fall
dramaLlcally 1hls can also have severe consequences

dual cenLre model
Lach lndlvldual has a set po|nt and Lhelr welghL ls regulaLed around LhaL seL polnL

omeostat|c mechan|sms ensure we alLer our appet|te and metabo||sm Lo keep us Lo Lhls set po|nt

1he maln area lnvolved ln regu|at|ng appet|te ls Lhe hypotha|amus
P?C1PALAMuS
aLlenLs wlLh Lumours ln Lhe hypoLhalamus Lend Lo become obese

MeLhods used Lo research Lhe hypoLhalamus
leslonlng ln anlmals
lnvesLlgaLlon of feedlng paLLerns afLer braln damage
effecLs of neuroLransmlLLers lnLroduced lnLo parLs of Lhe braln
lmpacL of drugs on eaLlng

1wo areas of Lhe hypotha|amus lnvolved ln eat|ng behav|our
ventromed|a hypotha|amus (V,% as a sat|ety centre
|atera| hypotha|amus (L% known as Lhe hunger centre
vMP LP are also known as vMn Ln n sLands for nucleus
1PL LA1L8AL P?C1PALAMuS
ConLalns Lhe feed|ng centre
1hls |n|t|ates eaLlng
Eating Behavioui Revision

lL responds Lo decreased b|ood g|ucose |ncrease |n ghre||n hormone when Lhe sLomach ls empLy

1PL vLn18CMLulAL P?C1PALAMuS
ConLalns Lhe sat|ety centre

1hls |nh|b|ts eaLlng behavlour when we are full
8esponds Lo
an |ncrease ln b|ood g|ucose
a decrease ln ghre||n and Lo a hormone released when food ls deLecLed ln Lhe duodenum
|ept|n a long Lerm saLleLy slgnal released by faL cells







8CLL C P?C1PALAMuSLvluLnCL
Aphag|a (fallure Lo eaL when hungry) can be caused by damage Lo Lhe LP

AoooJ 8tobec (1951) leslons ln Lhe LP of raLs leads Lo loss of feedlngs and aphagla

8esearch shows LhaL st|mu|at|on of LP of raLs produces feedlng
raLs who's vMP had been lesloned developed overeat|ng and obes|ty
however ColJ (197J) found LhaL leslons resLrlcLed Lo Lhe vMP alone dld noL resulL ln hyperphagla
and only produced overeaLlng when Lhey lncluded oLher areas such as Lhe parvovenLlcular nucleus
subsequenL research dld noL supporL ColJsflndlngs
evaluaLlon of dual process model
Much of Lhe research done ln support of uCM has been done on an|ma|s 1hls means LhaL lL cannoL
be etrapo|ated onLo humans 1ogeLher wlLh Lhls uslng anlmals ln research ls uneth|ca| as anlmals
are unable Lo glve consenL

1he Lheory focuses only on b|o|og|ca| factors Lhls makes lL reducLlonlsL as lL falls Lo conslder oLher
psycho|og|ca| approaches or example behavlourlsLs may suggesL LhaL ||fe events play a large role ln
eaLlng behavlour (famlly grlevance leads Lo reduce ln eaLlng)

1he Lheory only conslsLs of Lhe nature approach and doesn'L look aL how nurture can affecL eaLlng
behavlour
Punger eaLlng sLarLs
lncrease ln blood glucose
decrease ln ghrelln release
LP feedlng cenLre acLlvaLed
vMP SaLleLy CenLre acLlvaLed
SaLleLyfeedlng sLops feellngs
of decllnlng nourlshmenL levels
Eating Behavioui Revision

ase stud|es used ln research help Lo avold eth|ca| |ssues Lhey are noL lnduclng dlsorders only
maklng observaLlons
Lhe role of Lhe sLomach
uoes Lhe presence or absence of food ln Lhe sLomach cause slgnals Lo Lhe braln's mechanlsms
conLrolllng eaLlng?

cooooo ooJ wosbboto (1912) found LhaL sLomach conLracLlons corre|ated wlLh hunger pangs 1hey
lnserLed a Lube lnLo Lhe LhroaL of a parLlclpanL (and lnLo Lhe sLomach) Alr was pumped lnLo Lhe plpe
Lo lnflaLe a balloon aLLached Lo Lhe oLher end SLomach conLracLlons could Lhen be measured by
change ln alr pressure ln Lhe balloon lL was found LhaL Lhe parLlclpanL was noL hungry Lhere were no
conLracLlons suggesLlng LhaL sLomach conLracLlons caused hunger (deLermlnlsm)

Powever subsequenL research suggesLs sLomach conLracLlons do noL necessarlly have Lo occur for
hunger Lo sLarL
people sLlll feel hungry (or full) even lf Lhe nerves from Lhe sLomach Lo Lhe braln are cuL Cr even lf a
paLlenL has no sLomach aL all!

Lhe role of ghrelln
Ghre||n ls secreLed from Lhe wa||s of the stomach and Lhe amounL LhaL ls produced ls d|rect|y
proport|onate Lo Lhe empt|ness of Lhe sLomach

1haL ls Lhe empLler Lhe sLomach Lhe more ghre||n ls secreLed

8ecenL research suggesLs LhaL Lhe hormone ghre||n plays a large parL ln hunger fee||ngs and sat|ety

Lvldence suggesL LhaL ghre||n acLs dlrecLly on Lhe bra|n's mechan|sms of feedlng behavlour lncludlng
Lhe hypoLhalamus
CuMMlnCS L1 AL (2004)

commloqs et ol (2004) lnvesLlgaLed changes ln b|ood ghre||n |eve|s over Llme beLween meals
S| part|c|pants were allowed Lo eaL lunch Lhen ghre||n |eve|s were monlLored from b|ood samp|es Laken
every f|ve m|nutes (from a Lube or caLheLer lnserLed lnLo Lhe veln) unLll parLlclpanLs requesLed Lhelr evenlng
meal
arLlclpanLs assessed Lhelr degree of hunger every LhlrLy mlnuLes
lndlngs were LhaL ghre||n |eve|s fe|| |mmed|ate|y afLer lunch reachlng Lhelr lowesL level aL abouL 70 mlnuLes
1hen Lhey slowly began Lo rlse peeklng as parLlclpanLs requesLed Lhelr evenlng meal lmporLanLly ln flve ouL
of Lhe slx parLlclpanLs ghrelln levels were c|ose|y corre|ated wlLh Lhe degree of hunger reporLed by Lhe
parLlclpanLs 1he auLhors concluded LhaL ghre||n |eve|s d|rect|y ref|ect stomach empt|ness and are c|ose|y
re|ated Lo sub[ect|ve fee||ngs of hunger 1hls supporLs a role glven for ghre||n as a key appet|te s|gna| |n
humans
Eating Behavioui Revision

MeLhodologlcal lssues
arLlclpanLs were lsolaLed from t|me and contet cues so LhaL any changes ln ghrelln would be due Lo hunger
raLher Lhan reflecLlng an automat|c response Lo meal Llme 1here were only s| part|c|pants and all were ma|e
1herefore Lhere could be problems of genera||s|ng resulLs Lo wlder populaLlon and fema|es ln parLlcular uaLa
was corre|at|ona| so we cannoL say LhaL ghre||n causes feellngs of hunger 1he resulLs supporL prevlous
research
LLhlcal lssues

1he sLudy lnvolved lnserLlng a caLheLer lnLo Lhe parLlclpanLs veln so LhaL blood samples could be collecLed 1he
researchers obLalned approva| for Lhls from Lhelr local eLhlcal commlLLee arLlclpanLs were volunLeers who
gave |nformed consent and who were fu||y debr|efed afLerwards
glucosLaLlc Lheory
G|ucose ls a s|mp|e sugar LhaL we geL from food LhaL glves us energy

1he glucose LhaL ls noL used |mmed|ate|y ls stored ln Lhe ||ver fat cells

|ood g|ucose |eve|s are consLanLly monlLored by Lhe sensors ln Lhe ||ver and Lhe hypotha|amus lf
levels are |ow sLored g|ucose ls re|eased

hanges ln supply of glucose avallable generaLes s|gna|s Lo Lhe bra|n LhaL regu|ate hunger and
appet|te
evaluaLlon of glucosLaLlc Lheory
Levels of energy source do noL usually decrease Lo anywhere near Lhe Lhreshold needed for Lrlgger
eaLlng CerLalnly a small buL rellable dec||ne ln b|ood g|ucose occurs a few mlnuLes before Lhe
lnlLlaLlon of spontaneous eat|ng (complelJ et ol 1996) 1hls ls deLermlnable









Eating Behavioui Revision

neural mechanlsms contro|||ng
sat|at|on cck
M ho|ecystok|n|n (% seems Lo be Lhe hormone assoclaLed wlLh sat|ety

M uoes Lhe oppos|te of ghre||n

M As food passes from Lhe stomach Lo Lhe sma|| |ntest|ne Lhrough Lhe duodenum CCk ls re|eased

M Sends messages Lo Lhe braln Lo |nh|b|t eaLlng

M mltb et ol (1982) ln[ecLed CCk lnLo anlmals and humans reduce meal slze
anlmals wlLh a geneLlc muLaLlon LhaL sLops CCk belng released become obese

lepLln
M ody we|ght ls deLermlned by musc|e mass body we|ght

M Iat ls sLored ln adophocytes are conLrolled by d|et and Lhen Lhe number ls flxed

M So fat |eve|s conLrolled by Lhe amounL of faL held ln Lhe adophocytes

M LepLln ls a hormone released from Lhe adophocyLes

M 1he more fat sLored the more |ept|n Lo be released

M LepLln Lravels back Lo Lhe hypoLhalamus and slgnals Lo us Lo reduce food lnLake (feellngs of saLleLy)

M Mlce m|ss|ng gene for lepLln producLlon overeaL and become obese (Lhe ob gene)

M ln[ecLlons of lepLln lnLo ob mlce reduces food lnLake
Powever obese humans have norma| or h|gh levels of lepLln so Lhls cannoL be Lhe compleLe answer

M Could be Lhe bra|n of some obese people |nsens|t|ve Lo |ept|n |eve|s

lssues
LLhlcal lssues wlLh uslng non human anlmals
uebaLes
ls Lhe blologlcal approach reducLlonlsL
ree wlll vs deLermlnlsm (can blologlcal drlves be overrldden?)
Approaches
Compare and conLrasL explanaLlons for eaLlng behavlour


Eating Behavioui Revision

neural mechanlsms eva|uat|on
8eflecLlon on people's hunger/saLleLy

lnslghL lnLo bra|n chem|ca|s could be used Lo develop medlcal lnLervenLlons Lo help change whaL we
eaL

rovldes ep|anat|ons of some dlfferences ln eaLlng behavlour

SLudles such as Lhese lnvolvlng leglons ln Lhe L and V, ln rats have supporLed Lhe role of Lhe
hypoLhalamus ln eaLlng behavlour

SLudles lnvolvlng e|ectr|ca| st|mu|at|on of Lhese cenLres have conf|rmed Lhelr role ln feedlng
saLleLy

Such sLudles provlde sound sc|ent|f|c ev|dence buL Lhere ls Lhe lssue of etrapo|at|ng data flndlngs
from an|ma|s Lo humans

educt|on|sm focus excluslvely on blologlcal facLors of hunger and saLleLy

|o|og|ca| determ|n|sm focuses excluslvely on Lhe role of nature and no space lefL Lo cho|ce soc|a|
and cu|tura| lnfluences

1here ls substant|a| and convlnclng evldence LhaL soc|a| cu|tura| psycho|og|ca| facLors affecL our
eaLlng behavlour as ln evldenL from psycho|og|ca| ep|anat|ons of eat|ng d|sorders

use of an|ma|s ln research lmplles |ack of genera||sab|||ty

|gh|y contro||ed lab experlmenLs may lack eco|og|ca| va||d|ty

hyslologlcal drlves can be overrldden (eg deslre Lo lose welghL dlsllke of cerLaln foods fear of
loslng conLrol soclal cues Lo conLlnue eaLlng and food avallablllLy)









Eating Behavioui Revision

evoluLlonary explanaLlons
1he human llne rapldly became omn|vores lL ls slgnlflcanL LhaL even ln modern hunter gatherer
socleLles meat sLlll makes up a large fracLlon of Lhe dleL 2 dependlng on Lhe season ln
conLrasL ch|mpanzees wlll have a maxlmum of ln Lhelr dleL (8oss 2008)

Lvldence Lo suggesL we have evolved Lo become omnlvores can be noLed when looklng aL Lhe
dlgesLlve sysLem
Pumans have a re|at|ve|y |ong duodenum and sma|| |ntest|ne speclallsed for Lhe d|gest|on
absorpt|on of prote|n

Chlmpanzees gorlllas and monkeys have a re|at|ve|y |ong |arge |ntest|ne speclallsed for Lhe dlgesLlon
of p|ant mater|a|s

1here are severa| advantages Lo havlng an omn|vorous d|et
meaL glves humans a |ot of prote|ns
lL ls a more eff|c|ent means of galnlng proLeln Lhan scrounglng for planLs leaves
hunLlng would requlre speclal soc|a| sk|||s (and developmenL of Lhese) Lool maklng and Lool use
weapon maklng and use skllls of navlgaLlon and soclal cooperaLlon ( Lhls puLs pressure on Lhe
evoluLlon of language oLher soclal skllls)

1hese skllls would provlde Lhe se|ect|on pressure for a |arger bra|n le lndlvlduals who are capable of
Lhese complex acLlons would have been more llkely Lo surv|ve breed 1he evoluLlon of a hunLer
gaLherer socleLy would have oLher lmpllcaLlons
d|v|s|on of |abour Lhe physlcal demands of hunLlng would be more sulLed Lo males whlle females
would be more concerned wlLh chlldcare gaLherlng berrles leaves eLc
sk|||ed hunters wou|d acqu|re prest|ge ln modern hunLer gaLherer socleLles Lhe successful hunLer
shares hls klll wlLh oLher members of hls group alongslde hls famlly 1hls glves hlm esteem and power
ln Lhe group aswell as sexual favours and greaLer opporLunlLles Lo spread hls genes ln facL ln some
modern Lrlbes women can dlvorce men who do noL provlde food (8oss 2008)

Powever Lhese lmpllcaLlons are noL necessarlly appllcable As food ls more read||y ava||ab|e ln
supermarkeLs so less hunLlng ls needed Women are also |ess ||ke|y Lo be lmpressed by a man dolng
Lhe supermarket shopplng Lhan lf Lhey hunted anlmals themse|ves

Cmnlvores have a w|de rang|ng dleL can Lherefore be explolLed Lo many dlfferenL food sources
1hls leaves Lhem open Lo a varleLy of p|ant to|ns and food LhaL has gone off ,eat ls a ma[or source
of food po|son|ng even Loday uurlng evo|ut|on varlous meLhods have evolved Lo cope wlLh Lhls
problem
cook|ng ls one soluLlon for k||||ng bacter|a ln meaL (wtooqbom et ol 1999) 1hls provldes an
advanLage Lo humans over oLher specles Cooklng also makes food eas|er to chew and lL ls noLlceable
LhaL our chewlng LeeLh (molars) have decreased |n s|ze (ocos et ol 2006)
sp|ces have always been a parL of Lhe human dleL Splces such as on|on and gar||c are especlally
effecLlve ln kllllng bacLerla We would noL have a geneLlc Lendency Lo use splces buL cu|tura|
transm|ss|on would qulckly spread Lhe word LhaL Lhey help prevenL food polsonlng 1oday more
splces are used ln hot countr|es and meat (betmoo ooJ nosb 2001) whlch ls more dangerous lf
spo||ed
taste receptors help Lo lndlcaLe food LhaL has gone off 1hese LasLes lead us Lo pull faclal expresslons
Eating Behavioui Revision

of d|sgust LhaL ls slmllar across human lnfanLs and oLher young prlmaLes such as chlmpanzees
(teloet et ol 2001) LhaL feellng leads us Lo avold Lhose foods ln Lhe fuLure
food neophob|a ls belng afrald of Lhe new 1hls means LhaL anlmals have a powerfu| tendency Lo
avold food LhaL Lhey have noL yeL encounLered An aspecL of neophobla ls LhaL we Lend Lo show a
greaLer llklng of foods once Lhey become famlllar (tost 2006) we do show a var|ety of cholce ln
foods LhaL we know are safe
taste avers|on |earn|ng lf we eaL a food LhaL makes us slck lL would be an evoluLlonary advanLage Lo
avold lL ln Lhe fuLure 1hls can be shown ln humans buL has been more dramaLlcally shown ln non
humans (Cotclo koslolo ooJ 8tett 1977) made wolves slck wlLh lamb's meaL conLamlnaLed wlLh
polson wrapped ln sheepskln When allowed Lo approach Lhe wolves would snlff and leave Lhe sheep
alone 1hey had learnL LhaL Lo assoclaLe Lhe polson wlLh Lhe sheep 1asLe averslon learnlng ls h|gh|y
spec|f|c and etreme|y |ntense !usL one experlence wlll affecL Lhe anlmal's behavlour

ab|es and young ch||dren can show a range of taste preferences ln some cases Lhls ls very narrow
such as survlvlng largely on peanuL buLLer sandwlches Some of Lhelr dlsllkes are sens|b|e some
vegeLables such as broccoll and russels sprouLs conLaln chemlcals whlch can be harmful for Lhe
young (-esse wlllloms 1994)
8LCnAnC? AS 1PL LxCL1lCn
MosL females seLLle Lhelr dleL down buL Lhe one excepLlon Lo Lhls ls females ln Lhe early sLages of
pregnancy regnancy leads Lo be assoclaLed wlLh a change ln d|etary needs and ln parLlcular Lhe
avo|dance of cerLaln foods so much so LhaL dlsgusL vomlLlng can be a reacLlon

,orn|ng s|ckness ls found ln aL leasL 73 of women An exploraLlon of Lhls ls found ln Lhe embryo
protect|on hypothes|s (9toet 1992)

Surveys show LhaL foods LhaL cause a reacLlon conslsLenLly are
coffee
meaL
alcohol
eggs
vegeLables
(8oss 2008)

Mornlng slckness ls mosL severe ln Lhe early weeks of pregnancy when Lhe baby's ma[or organs are
developlng and Lhe baby ls mosL vu|nerab|e

usually lL eases off afLer and dlsappears as Lhe baby becomes fully formed

1hls ls because alcohol coffee Lea all conLaln caffelne whlch can damage Lhe baby's ma[or organs

MeaL eggs vegeLables all conLaln bacter|a (meaL eggs) to|ns (vegeLables) whlch are harmful Lo a
developlng foeLus

1he slckness reacLlon Lherefore helps Lhe moLher Lo avold foods LhaL may be harmful whlle vom|t|ng
helps prevenL any Loxlns from enLerlng Lhe blood sLream and affecLlng her baby Powever Lhls may be
hard Lo genera||se Lo Lhe presenL as standards of hyg|ene are h|gher

Eating Behavioui Revision

evoluLlonary explanaLlon
eva|uat|on
Cur b|o|og|ca| systems for conLrolllng food lnLake have a long evoluLlonary hlsLory and Lhere are
many s|m||ar|t|es beLween humans and an|ma|s

Ioss|| ev|dence on changes Lo our dlgesLlve sysLem (or LeeLh dlgesLlve sysLem) supporL hypotheses
on Lhe evoluLlon of meaL eaLlng and Lhe shlfL Lo a hunter gatherer socleLy Powever Lhere ls a ||m|ted
amount of evldence and evo|ut|onary ep|anat|ons are speculaLlve

1he shlfL Lo meaL eaLlng helps Lo explaln Lhe se|ect|ve pressure on braln evoluLlon ln order Lo cope
wlLh new techn|ca| and soc|a| skllls

An evoluLlonary approach can explaln many features of our d|gest|ve systems eg our range of LasLe
quallLles

1he evoluLlonary approach can also explaln unusua| aspecLs of food preferences such as morn|ng
s|ckness

As parL of Lhe b|o|og|ca| approach evoluLlonary explanaLlons are reduct|on|st 1hey do noL Lake lnLo
accounL cu|tura| transm|ss|on of behavlours relaLed Lo food feedlng and Lhey do noL place enough
emphasls on soc|a| and cu|tura| changes ln for example Lhe wldespread avallablllLy of food ln
wesLern socleLles we no longer behave as hunLer gaLherers and Lhe evoluLlonary approach ls
Lherefore llmlLed

very nature domlnaLed no appreclaLlon of nurture








Eating Behavioui Revision

mood and eaLlng behavlour
SLudles seeklng Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe effecL of mood and d|stress on eaLlng look for Lhe exlsLence of
elLher hyperphag|a (ecess|ve over eat|ng% or hypophag|a (ecess|ve under eat|ng%

A susta|ned lncrease or decrease ln appeLlLe can be an lmporLanL sympLom of depresslon or oLher
mood dlsorders ( uovey 2008)

qJeo (2007) noLes LhaL dleLers who overeaL ln response Lo |ow mood may be seeklng Lo mask Lhelr
negat|ve mood (dysphorla) wlLh a Lemporary helghLened mood lnduced by eaLlng a phenomenon
she refers Lo as Lhe masklng hypoLhesls" ueLermlnlsm

SLudles lndlcaLe LhaL d|eters eat more Lhan non d|eters when an|ous regardless of how palaLable
Lhelr food ls

1here ls also a conslderable amounL of research Lo suggesL LhaL cerLaln people experlence an
lrreslsLlble deslre Lo consume sweet or starchy food ln response Lo a low mood sLaLe 1hls has been
labelled as carbohydrate crav|ng syndrome (can be deLermlnlsLlc)

lL has been suggesLed LhaL Lhe eaLlng of carbohydraLes speclflcally tr|ggers an |mprovement ln mood

Cne explanaLlon for Lhls ls LhaL carbohydraLes are an lmporLanL source of amlno aclds (tryptophan)
an essenLlal bulldlng block for seroton|n lL has been suggesLed LhaL people who crave carbohydraLes
prefer Lo each foods rlch ln carbohydraLes as a means of se|f med|cat|ng Lhelr low mood
(reducLlonlsL)
supporL for Lhls exlsLence of carbohydraLe cravlng ls shown ln a recenL experlmenLal Lrlal by cotslco
ooJ ptloq (2008)

Stress ls commonly LhoughL Lo occur when Lhe perce|ved demands made of an lndlvldual eceed or
threaten to eceed Lhe perce|ved resources avallable Lo LhaL lndlvldual Lo cope wlLh such demands
(ozotos olmoo 1984) ln Lhls LransacLlonal model of sLress developed by ozotos colleoqoes
cogn|t|ve appra|sa| ls consldered Lhe flrsL sLep ln Lhe sLress response 1hls means Lhe response Lo
sLress wlll be |d|osyncrat|c dependenL on Lhe pr|mary appra|sa| made by Lhe lndlvldual and Lhelr
secondary appra|sa| of Lhe resources avallable Lo LhaL parLlcular evenL or slLuaLlon 1hus sLress llke
beauLy ls ln Lhe eye of Lhe beholder

coooet Atmltoqe (2002) observe LhaL Lwo general hypoLheses have been lnvesLlgaLed ln relaLlon Lo
sLress and eaLlng behavlour 1he flrsL Lhe genera| effect hypothes|s proposes LhaL sLress changes Lhe
consumpLlon paLLerns of food ln general Lhe second Lhe |nd|v|dua| d|fference hypothes|s
emphaslses LhaL sLress leads Lo changes ln eaLlng behavlour only ln cerLaln groups





Eating Behavioui Revision

1PL CLnL8AL LLC1 P?C1PLSlS

1he general effecL hypoLhesls suggesLs LhaL sLress produces phys|o|og|ca| changes LhaL explaln
changes ln eaLlng behavlour

SLudles Lo examlne Lhls hypoLhesls have usually enLalled epos|ng an|ma|s parLlcularly raLs (eLhlcs)
Lo phys|ca| stressors (such as Lall plnchlng and elecLrlc shocks) and observlng changes ln eaLlng
behavlour

ln general such research has produced resulLs LhaL provlde some supporL for Lhls hypoLhesls alLhough
noL conslsLenLly so (coooet Atmltoqe 2002) lsolaLlon a chron|c stressor does appear Lo |ncrease
boLh consumpLlon of food and welghL ln raLs buL sLudles wlLh human parLlclpanLs have mlxed resulLs

1PL lnulvluuAL ulL8LnCL P?C1PLSlS

1he lndlvldual dlfference hypoLhesls suggesLs LhaL dlfferences ln b|o|ogy att|tudes to eat|ng and
|earn|ng h|story provlde varlaLlons ln vulnerablllLy Lo Lhe effecLs of sLress

1hose wlLh a h|gh vu|nerab|||ty respond Lo sLress by effecLlng an env|ronmenta| or psycho|og|ca|
change LhaL encourages eaLlng

Whereas |ow vu|nerab|||ty lndlvlduals make psycho|og|ca| or env|ronmenta| changes LhaL do noL
encourage eaLlng (coooet Atmltoqe 2002)

A number of h|gh/|ow vu|nerab|||ty groups have been suggesLed lncludlng
exLernal lnLernal eaLers
resLralned non resLralned eaLers
emoLlonal non emoLlonal eaLers

MCCu Anu LA1lnC LPAvlCu8

Accordlng Lo eterna||ty theory (cboctet et ol 1968) people who are eterna| eaters eaL ln response
Lo food relaLed sLlmull lrrespecLlve of wheLher Lhey are hungry or fu|| y conLrasL |nterna| eaters
respond more Lo hunger when decldlng when whaL Lo eaL lL ls assumed LhaL when we are stressed
our |nterna| cues Lo hunger are reduced and our eterna| cues are he|ghtened

lf Lhls assumpLlon ls correcL |ncreased |eve|s of sLress should reduce eaLlng ln |nterna| eaters buL
|ncrease eaLlng ln eterna| eaters 8esearch by coooet et ol (1999) provldes some supporL for Lhls
Lheory

eople who use self conLrol processes Lo Lry Lo suppress Lhelr lnLake of food are referred Lo by some
psychologlsLs as restra|ned eaters Accordlng Lo restra|nt theory lf Lhese se|f contro| processes are
undermlned by stressfu| events d|s|nh|b|tat|on of eaLlng ls more ||ke|y Lo occur leadlng Lo an
excesslve lnLake of food CerLalnly Lhe flndlngs of a number of sLudles appear Lo supporL Lhe
hypoLhesls LhaL stress produces a greater |ncrease |n eat|ng |n restra|ned eaters (netmoo et ol
2005) Powever as coooet Atmltoqe (2002) noLe Lhese flndlngs are excluslvely ln relaLlon Lo young
women (gender blas)

Eating Behavioui Revision

mot|ona| eaters Lend Lo |ncrease Lhelr lnLake of food when Lhey are an|ous or emot|ona||y
aroused y conLrasL non emot|ona| eaters do noL show a response Lo emoLlon 1he way ln whlch
sLress ls LhoughL Lo lead Lo |ncreased food consumpLlon ln emot|ona| eaters ls Lhrough a fallure Lo
dlsLlngulsh beLween an|ety and hunger (coooet ooJ Atmltoqe 2002)

1here ls also a llmlLed number of sLudles lnvesLlgaLlng Lhe lmpacL of emoLlonal eaLlng on Lhe
relaLlonshlps beLween eaLlng and overeaLlng Lhe flndlngs of a few sLudles offer some supporL for Lhls
hypoLhesls (eg llvet et ol 2000) whereas Lhe flndlngs of oLhers do noL (eg coooet ot ol 1999) A
recenL sLudy by voo tltleo ooJ oweos (2009) suggesLs LhaL alexlLhymla (LhaL ls dlfflculLy ldenLlfylng
and descrlblng feellngs) may be lmporLanL ln moderaLlng facLor ln Lhe llnk beLween dlsLress and
overeaLlng




Eating Behavioui Revision

emoLlon and eaLlng behavlour
Punger ls assoclaLed wlLh |ncreased arousa| v|g||ance and |rr|tab|||ty whlle afLer a meal we feel ca|m and
s|eepy and have general pleasurlng feellngs More sLrlklngly sLudles have shown LhaL people who are
depressed or sLressed |ncrease the|r carbohydrate especlally sugar and faL conLenL of Lhelr meals Clbsoo
(2006) 1he change ls assoclaLed wlLh better mood and more energy Mocbt Cetet llqtloq (200J) eople
also flnd LhaL sweeL LasLes as ln carbohydraLes llke sugar p|easurab|e
1he effecL ls so wldespread LhaL two mechan|sms have been proposed Lo accounL for lL


1PL SL8C1Cnln P?C1PLSlS
1he seroLonln hypoLhesls carbohydrates such as chocolaLe conLaln Lhe amlno acld tryptophan 1hls ls used by
Lhe braln ln Lhe manufacLure of Lhe neuroLransmlLLer seroLonln Low |eve|s of seroLonln are assoclaLed wlLh
depresslon and lL has been proposed LhaL people wlLh stress or depress|on Lake ln more carbohydraLes
because lL leads Lo lncreased levels of seroLonln ln Lhe braln 1hls reduces Lhelr depresslon Clbsoo 2006

unforLunaLely Lhls lncrease ln seroLonln levels only occurs when we Lake ln pure carbohydrates whlch ls
exLremely rare 1he presence of even a small amounL of proLeln as ln chocolaLe prevenLs Lhe tryptophan
from enLerlng Lhe braln and so seroLonln levels wlll noL change (8eotoo 2002) 1he seroLonln hypoLhesls ls
unllkely Lo explaln Lhe anLldepressanL effecLs of hlgh carbohydraLe dleLs

1PL ClA1L P?C1PLSlS
ln Lhe braln we also have op|ate neurotransm|tters 1wo examples are enkepha||n and beta endorph|n 1hey
are released from neurons and acL as synapses wlLh oplaLe recepLors p|ates are chemlcally very slmllar Lo
Lhe oplaLe drug ln heroln and heroln acLs on Lhese oplaLe paLhways Peroln ls a hlghly addlcLlve drug whlch
can also produce pleasurable feellngs and euphorla 1herefore lL seems llkely LhaL Lhe braln's oplaLe paLhways
are parL of our rewards system a neLwork of paLhways LhaL conLrol our feellngs of pleasure and reward

Cur reward sysLem ls acLlvaLed by natura| rewards such as food and drlnk lf Lhe rewardlng sysLems of food
depend on Lhe op|ate/endorph|n sysLem Lhen we would expecL some lnLeracLlon beLween oplaLes and
feedlng behavlour and Lhls ls whaL we would flnd (Ctlqsoo 2002) (Clbsoo 2006)
p|ate drugs |ncrease food |ntake and lncrease Lhe perce|ved tast|ness of food
locklng Lhe endorphln sysLem wlLh Lhe drug naxolene reduces food lnLake especlally sweeL foods and
suppresses LhoughLs abouL food 1hls shows LhaL Lhe sysLem ls lnvolved ln feedlng regulaLlon
Sweet foods lncrease Lhe release of endorphlns ln Lhe braln

So we feel beLLer afLer eaLlng sweet carbohydrates as Lhese foods ln parLlcular acLlvaLe our naLural reward
paLhways 1hls effecL would be more obvlous ln people wlLh depresslon or Lhose hlghly sLressed buL even ln
normal clrcumsLances sweet foods can |mprove mood

ecause food ls so vlLal we are very efflclenL aL learnlng assoclaLlons beLween taste and consequences 1hls
applles Lo pos|t|ve effects as well we learn Lo assoclaLe Lhe mood |mprov|ng effecLs of carbohydraLes
especlally sugars wlLh Lhe sweeL LasLe So when we LasLe food we have expecLaLlons abouL Lhe consequences
Eating Behavioui Revision

and Lhls applles Lo physlologlcal sysLems as well
G|ucose re||ab|||ty lmproves performance ln cognlLlve Lasks Powever lf people are glven a glucose drlnk buL
are Lold lL ls a placebo Lhen Lhe effecL dlsappears Cur epectat|ons overrlde Lhe acLual lnLake of glucose
1he sweeL LasLe of a glucose soluLlon lmmedlaLely produces a release of lnsulln from Lhe pancreas gland
anLlclpaLlng a rlse ln blood glucose levels 1hls happens even when drlnks are sweeLened wlLh saccharlne a
compound LhaL ls noL processed by Lhe body Powever we have learnL LhaL sweeL LasLes usually mean glucose
so our body prepares lLself Ant|c|pat|on and epectat|on on Lhe basls of learnlng and experlence are vlLal
parLs of feedlng behavlour (Clbsoo 2006)













Eating Behavioui Revision

anorexla b|o|og|ca| ep|anat|ons
CLnL1lC
Anorexla may have a genet|c component whlch makes Lhe lndlvldual more vu|nerab|e Lo developlng
Lhe dlsorder 1hls ls supporLed by observaLlons LhaL anorexla Lendencles seem Lo run ln famllles

amlly sLudles have shown LhaL levels of anorexla are h|gher ln lndlvlduals who have relaLlves wlLh
Lhe dlsease
Lhls may noL [usL be because famllles share Lhe same genes buL also because Lhey share Lhe same
envlronmenLs
Lhey are rare dlseases and so sLudles are only done on se|ect part|c|pants so |ack re||ab|||ty
vlrLually all sLudles have been done ln western popu|at|ons 1herefore |acks popu|at|on va||d|ty
nobody has suggesLed LhaL genes wlll be Lhe comp|ete answer as a concordance rate for MZ
Lwlns has been found (luA)

nollooJ et ol (1984) almed Lo flnd Lhe genet|c contr|but|on Lo An uslng , and Lwln palrs where
one of each palr has been dlagnosed wlLh anorexla
[usLlflcaLlon MZ Lwlns are geneLlcally Lhe same lf a characLerlsLlc ls deLermlned fully by geneLlcs
Lhen boLh Lwlns wlll have lL uZ Lwlns are only as slmllar as broLher and slsLer Powever Lhey do share
Lhe same envlronmenL so Lhey acL as a conLrol for Lhe facL LhaL M| Lwlns also share Lhe same
envlronmenLs
parLlclpanLs , fema|e Lwln palrs and fema|e Lwln palrs Cne of each palr was dlagnosed
wlLh An |ood ana|ys|s and 'phys|ca| s|m||ar|ty' quesLlonnalre were used Lo deLermlne MZ Lwlns
flndlngs lf one MZ Lwln had anorexla Lhe oLher Lwln would have a llkellhood of concordance
raLe for uZ Lwlns lL was 7
concluslons concordance raLe for MZ Lwlns was s|gn|f|cant|y greater for MZ Lwlns lndlngs suggesL
genet|c |nvo|vement
CommenLary
allocaLlon was based on physlcal slmllarlLles of palrs Lhls ls noL a rellable meLhod
MZ/uZ sLudles assume envlronmenLal lnfluences are Lhe same for boLh Lwln Powever MZ Lwlns are
probably LreaLed slmllarly Lhan uZ Lwlns whllsL growlng up and Lhls exLra closeness may affecL
concordance raLe
concordance raLe was on|y so nongeneLlc facLors are almosL as lmporLanL as geneLlc facLors
alLhough only few sLudles do supporL geneLlc facLors
sLudles should be careful ln fully lnformed consenL and rlghL Lo wlLhdraw 1hey should make help
avallable (afLer care) lf lL ls needed

LvCLu1lCn

lf Lhere ls a gene LhaL makes an lndlvldual vulnerable Lo a dlsorder Lhen evo|ut|onary psychologlsLs
would suggesL LhaL Lhe behavlour assoclaLed wlLh LhaL dlsorder may carry an adapt|ve advantage lf
Lhls wasn'L Lhe case Lhen lndlvlduals dlsplaylng Lhe behavlour would fall Lo surv|ve and reproduce
1he AdapLed Lo lee from amlne PypoLhesls (AP) suggesLs LhaL anorexlcs Lendency Lo be hlghly
acLlve and resLless when sLarvlng could have been useful behavlour ln Lhe LLA response Lo famlne lL
would mean LhaL raLher Lhan becomlng lnacLlve as mosL of us would have sLarved Lhey would
become acLlve and mlgraLe Lo oLher areas

Eating Behavioui Revision

Colsloqet (2008) suggesLed LhaL anorexla nervosa ls a reflecLlon of behavlours LhaL were adapLlve ln
Lhe LLA response
Lhere ls no dlrecL evldence for Lhls model lL does noL explaln why anorexla nervosa would have
seemed senslble for lL Lo affecL boLh men and women ln Lhe LLA
lL ls also lmposslble Lo LesL sclenLlflcally has Lo rely on a greaL deal of speculaLlon

nLu8C18AnSMl11L8S

An excess of Lhe neurotransm|tter seroton|n may underlle anorexla Some anorexlc behavlour ls very
slmllar Lo Lhe obsesslonal and anxlous behavlour seen ln CCu sufferers lL ls known LhaL h|gh |eve|s of
seroton|n probably causes CCu behavlour and lL Lherefore suggesLed LhaL lL may be lnvolved ln
anorexla

Larly sLudles (oye et ol2005) found a reduct|on ln levels of seroton|n metabo||te (lnhlblLs seroLonln)
ln people wlLh eaLlng dlsorder 1hls would suggesL seroton|n paLhways are underacLlve

1he lnLroducLlon of bra|n scann|ng Lechnlques has Lransformed Lhe area ln L1 scans a drug ls
ln[ecLed LhaL comblnes wlLh seroton|n receptors lL Lravels Lo Lhe braln and blnds Lo seroLonln
recepLors A braln scan ls Laken and Lhe drug shows up br|ght|y ||t areas 1hese can be measured and
Lhls glves us an esLlmaLe of Lhe number of seroLonln recepLors ln dlfferenL parLs of Lhe braln
Lhls does not show conc|us|ve|y LhaL changes ln Lhe seroLonln sysLem CAuSL eaLlng dlsorders 1he
loss of body welghL ln anorexla for example could produce alLeraLlons ln our body's physlologlcal
sysLems 1hese alLeraLlons may be so profound LhaL Lhey perslsL even afLer Lhe body has recovered
1hey are sLlll secondary Lo Lhe dlsease raLher Lhan cause lL

uslng L1 scans lL has been show LhaL Lhere are fewer seroLonln recepLors ln Lhe bralns of people
wlLh eaLlng dlsorders (too et ol 2002 oye et ol 2005) 1hey also show Lhese changes are found ln
people who have recovered from eaLlng dlsorders le Lhey are noL due Lo loss of body welghL or
oLher physlologlcal sympLoms assoclaLed wlLh anorexla (oye et ol 2005)
nLu8CAnA1CM?
1he hypotha|amus ls Lhe parL of Lhe braln LhaL appears Lo be lnvolved ln our moLlvaLlon Lo eaL and
sLop eaLlng 1he |atera| hypotha|amus ls Lhe area of Lhe braln LhaL ls lnvolved ln fee||ngs of hunger
and mot|vat|on to eat lL ls suggesLed LhaL lL may be damaged ln anorexlcs

8esearch has shown LhaL damage Lo Lhe laLeral hypoLhalamus causes |oss of appet|te resulLlng ln a
se|f starvat|on syndrome (nobel @eltelboom 1968)

uovey (2008) lndlcaLes LhaL lL ls un||ke|y LhaL problems assoclaLed wlLh Lhe laLeral hypoLhalamus are a
cenLral causal facLor ln anorexla

Anlmal sLudles lndlcaLe LhaL damage Lo Lhls parL of Lhe hypoLhalamus resulL ln lack of hunger y
conLrasL Lhose who suffer anorexla usually reporL experlenclng lnLense feellngs of hunger
eth|ca| prob|ems ln uslng anlmals
hard Lo etrapo|ate daLa from anlmals onLo humans
Eating Behavioui Revision

anorexla psycho|og|ca|
ep|anat|ons
Lhe dlaLhesls sLress model
1he dlaLhesls sLress model ls commonly used Lo explaln Lhe deve|opment of psycho|og|ca| d|sorders
(8eooett 2005)

1he word d|athes|s refers Lo an underlylng vu|nerab|||ty Lo develop a cerLaln dlsorder Whlle Lhe
vulnerablllLy may be b|o|og|ca| (such as geneLlc predlsposlLlon) lL may also refer Lo predlspoLlonlng
facLors LhaL are largely psychosoc|a| ln orlgln ot exomple eotly ttoomotlc expetleoce petsooollty
ttolts ot pottlcolot coqoltlve scbemoto

or a vulnerable lndlvldual Lo develop a parLlcular dlsorder some form of preclplLaLlng sLress ls
requlred

Cnce a dlsorder has developed any psychologlcal explanaLlon for LhaL dlsorder needs Lo accounL for
Lhe facLors LhaL help Lo malnLaln lL

1he dlaLhesls sLress model can help us Lo undersLand Lhe developmenL of eaLlng dlsorders from a
psychologlcal perspecLlve lL provldes a framework for examlnlng Lhe psychosoclal facLors lmpllcaLed
ln Lhe developmenL of Lhese dlsLresslng (and someLlmes llfe LhreaLenlng) dlsorders
psychodynamlc
sychologlcal dlsorders are a man|festat|on of repressed emot|ona| prob|ems 1he sympLoms of
eaLlng dlsorders symbollse repressed conf||cts moLlves ln Lhe unconsclous mlnd
onsc|ous 8efusal Lo eaL
ueslre Lo be Lhln
A prepuburescenL body
Lack of mensLruaLlon

Unconsc|ous ueslre Lo remaln a chlld 1raumaLlc sexual experlences ln chlldhood
ear of adulL sexuallLy
8tocb (197J) Anorexla seen as an aLLempL by Lhe lndlvldual Lo exerL some sorL of conLrol and be
auLonomous

ctlsp (1980) Anorexla an aLLempL by glrls Lo remaln as chlldren and posLpone adulLhood

Eating Behavioui Revision

Mloocblo et ol (1998) glrls develop anorexla as a means of dlverLlng Lhe aLLenLlon from oLher famlly
paLLerns 1hey suggesL LhaL famllles of anorexlcs have one of Lhe followlng problems
enmeshment (parenLs over lnvolved ln chlldren's affalrs)
overprotect|on
r|g|d|ty need Lo malnLaln sLaLus quo ln famlly
conf||ct avo|dance/|ack of reso|ut|on

wooJetllcb et ol (1996)
Survey of 1099 Amerlcan women
Sexual experlences durlng chlldhood
Women wlLh a hlsLory of seua| abuse had elevaLed rlsk of eaLlng dlsorders
Some lssues surroundlng retrospect|ve data buL has been conflrmed ln oLher sLudles

CLnL8AL C8l1lClSMS
Some supporL malnly from women abused ln chlldhood
Powever noL all sufferers develop eat|ng d|sorders and noL all eat|ng d|sorder sufferers have been
abused
Many aspecLs d|ff|cu|t to test eg unconsclous moLlves repressed memorles
ulfflculL Lo deLermlne lf Lhe problems wlLhln famllles are a cause or an effecL of anorexla
Cverrellance on case sLudles whlch cannoL be genera||sed
Powever famlly sysLems Lherapy has been effecLlve as parL of Lhe LreaLmenL for anorexla
behavloural
sychologlcal dlsorders are Lhe resulL of abnorma| |earn|ng eper|ences

LaLlng dlsorders are a seL of |earned emot|ona| and behav|oura| responses Lo food eaLlng and
behavlour

CLASSlCAL CCnul1lCnlnC
A learned assoclaLlon beLween eat|ng and an|ety
CL8An1 CCnul1lCnlnC
8elnforcemenL of d|et|ng/we|ght |oss behav|ours
compllmenLs from oLher (poslLlve relnforcemenL)
avoldance of eg bullylng (negaLlve relnforcemenL)

SCClAL LLA8nlnC 1PLC8?
CbservaLlon of s||m ro|e mode|s belng adm|red/successfu| (vlcarlous relnforcemenL)

CbservaLlon of overwe|ght people belng pun|shed

1endency Lo lmlLaLe ln order Lo obLaln some relnforces and/or avold some punlshmenLs

LvluLnCL
tteqol Moote 8oll (2007) argue
glrls lnLernallse culLurally deflned sLandards of beauLy
ln some glrls Lhls creaLes Lenslon beLween Lhe real self and Lhe ldeallsed self
Lhls leads Lo dlssaLlsfacLlon and dleLlng
Eating Behavioui Revision

ln some vulnerable glrls Lhls leads Lo an eaLlng dlsorder
Lhe process may be helped by soclal learnlng and relnforcemenL

Anorexla ls ldenLlfled wlLhln all culLures buL lL ls more preva|ent ln culLures where Lhe western
||festy|e ls porLrayed Lhrough medla lmages

Ctoesz et ol (2002) meLa analysls of 23 sLudles concluded LhaL body dlssaLlsfacLlon lncreased wlLh
medla lmages of th|n women

8ecet et ol (2002) Lhe lnLroducLlon of western tv lnLo I|[| lead Lo a s|gn|f|cant |ncrease of eaLlng
dlsorders over flve years
cognlLlve
Several cogn|t|ve factors are assoclaLed wlLh eat|ng d|sorders lncludlng obsess|ve thoughts |nact|ve
[udgements r|g|d thought patterns

CognlLlve models of eaLlng dlsorders suggesL LhaL Lhe soc|ocu|tura| |nf|uences are LranslaLed lnLo
behavlour Lhrough cognlLlve processes

CenLral Lo such models ls Lhe concepL of we|ght based schemas Lhls ls organlzed paLLerns of Lhlnklng
abouL welghL ln whlch self worLh ls [udged on Lhe basls of body welghL shape Cnce such schemas
are esLabllshed Lhey d|stort an lndlvldual's subsequenL percepLlon and lnLerpreLaLlon of experlence

As a consequence Lhe malnLenance of self worLh becomes |ncreas|ng|y dependent upon welghL
conLrol (8eooet 2005) SLudles have cerLalnly found LhaL negat|ve se|f be||efs are characLerlsLlc of
lndlvlduals wlLh anorexla (coopet 2005)

lndlvlduals wlLh eaLlng dlsorders ofLen reporL experlenclng obsess|ve thoughts abouL food and eaLlng
body welghL shape AlLhough many people Lry Lo suppress Lhese LhoughLs many reporL LhaL Lhey
are noL successful ln dolng so and have llLLle conLrol over Lhelr obsesslons

Some lndlvlduals especlally Lhose wlLh anorexla reporL derlvlng comforL from such preoccupaLlons
(9ollvy netmoo 2002)

coopet (2005) found people wlLh eaLlng dlsorders experlence d|sturbances ln |nformat|ona|
process|ng wlLh regard Lo food and eaLlng welghL and body shape 1he use of a modlfled sLroop LesL
has revealed aLLenLlonal blases ln lndlvlduals wlLh anorexla wlLh greaLer aLLenLlon glven Lo words
relaLed Lo food we|ght body shape

lndlvlduals wlLh anorexla nervosa exhlblL a blas for food words (9ollvy netmoo 2002) SLudles have
also found evldence of memory blases ln lndlvlduals wlLh eaLlng dlsorders words relaLed Lo food
we|ght and body shape are more llkely Lo be recalled (coopet 2005)

1he need for contro| ls expressed by lndlvlduals wlLh anorexla and bullmla Powever lndlvlduals wlLh
anorexla are more capab|e of susLalnlng long Lerm conLrol over Lhelr eaLlng Lhan Lhose wlLh bullmla
who Lend Lo be more lmpulslve (oltboom 1997)

Eating Behavioui Revision

oltboom ooJ colleoqoessuggesL LhaL ln anorexla nervosa once aLLempLs Lo resLrlcL eaLlng begln
Lhey are relnforced by Lhree ma|n feedback |oops whlch helps Lhe eaLlng dlsorder Lo become self
perpeLuaLlng (oltboom et ol 1998)
Lhe flrsL feedback loop ls an enhanced sense of belng ln contro| derlved from d|etary restr|ct|ons
(reducLlonlsL) 1hls ls a pos|t|ve re|nforce of resLralned eaLlng behavlour and conLrol over eaLlng
gradua||y becomes an lndlcaLor of se|f contro| ln general and se|f worth
Lhe second feedback loop comprlses Lhe varlous phys|o|og|ca| and psycho|og|ca| changes assoclaLed
wlLh se|f starvat|on LhaL encourage furLher dleLary resLrlcLlon or example lnLense hunger may be
lnLerpreLed as a percelved LhreaL Lo conLrol over eaLlng Lhereby moLlvaLlng an lndlvldual Lo resLrlcL
Lhelr food lnLake sLlll furLher ln effecL Lhese changes acL as negaLlve relnforcers of furLher resLralned
eaLlng
Lhe Lhlrd and mosL cu|tura||y spec|f|c mechanlsm ls concerns abouL body shape welghL LhaL derlve
from Lhe soclal value aLLached Lo Lhlnness (and Lhe resulLanL lmperaLlve Lo avold faLness) ln wesLern
socleLles