Psychological Explenations For Obesity

Question 1

What are the 3 models that can cognitively explain obesity

Answer 1

-Restraint theory
-Disinhibition
-The boundary model

Question 2

Restraint theory

Answer 2

-Dieters deliberately restrict food
-This requires a level of cognitive control whereby they must think about not eating, categorising allowed and forbidden foods
-This is paradoxical because it makes restrained eaters more preoccupied with thoughts of food instead of less
-They then actively attempt to ignore physiological indicators that signal hunger
-This leads to disinhibited eating and weight gain leading to obesity

Question 3

Disinhibition cycle

Answer 3

-Food restriction, more vulnerable
-internal disinhibitor cues (low mood, anxious)
-external disinhibitor cues (smells, media)
-Leads to unrestricted binge eating (disinhibited eating)
-Cognitive preocceses maintain this disinhibited eating such as all or nothing thinking - I blew it, I might as well start tomorrow

Question 4

The boundary model for non restrained eaters

Answer 4

-When energy levels dip below a certain point, we feel aversion hunger and are motivated to eat
-When we reach the aversion of satiety, we are motivated to stop by feeling discomfort
-Between the two points is the zone of indifference where biological factors don’t have much role but instead cognitive and social factors like meal times
-Neither hungry nor full

Question 5

The boundary model for restrained eaters

Answer 5

-They have a lower hunger boundary and a higher satiety boundary, therefore they have a wider zone of biological indifference which makes them more vulnerable to cognitive pressures rather than biological
-They also have a self imposed diet boundary which is far below the satiety boundary
-When restrained eaters break the diet boundaries, they experience the what the hell effect, marked by passivity and resignation
-What’s the point, I might as well eat the lot.

Question 6

Supporting research, restraint and disinhibition

Answer 6

Wardle and Beales
-27 obese women were either placed on a restrictive eating diet, exercise and no diet at all
-The restrained eaters binged significantly more than the non restrictive groups even though they had less general food consumption throughout the week

Question 7

Contradictory research

Answer 7

Savage
-Longitudinal studies into restrictive eating
-Measure the dietary restraint of 163 women every 2 years for 6 years, and measures their weight
-They found a significant negative correlation, the more people restrictively are, the more weight they lost
-Leads to weight loss in the long term

Question 8

Practical application

Answer 8

-Boundary model predicts that food intake is consciously limited with the paradoxical outcome being overeating
-Weight loss advice being focused on training dieters to eat at a slower rate instead of restricting