Abstract:
Observed choices between options representing a relative vice and a relative virtue have commonly been used as a measure of eating self-control in the literature. However, even though self-control operations may manifest across the post-choice consumption stage, either similarly or in different ways from the choice stage, most prior research has ignored consumption quantity of the chosen option. While the behavior of choosing a virtue instead of a vice does manifest self-control, we examine how this plays out in post-choice consumption. Specifically, we find that when processing resources are limited, after having chosen a virtue food, unrestrained eaters ironically consumed greater quantities and therefore more calories than restrained eaters (Study 1). This reflects more persistent self-control in the post-choice consumption stage among restrained eaters than unrestrained eaters, and occurs because choosing a virtue lowers accessibility of the self-control goal among unrestrained eaters relative to restrained eaters (Study 2), thereby increasing intake of the virtuous food. In contrast, subsequent to having chosen a vice, unrestrained eaters and restrained eaters did not show any such difference in intake (Study 1) or goal accessibility (Study 2). Together, these results reveal that persistence of self-control in the post-choice consumption stage depends on individuals\' dietary restraint and their initial exercise of self-control in the choice decision. The mere act of choosing a virtue satisfies unrestrained eaters\' self-control goal and leads to increased food intake, whereas the same act keeps the same goal activated among restrained eaters who reduce intake of the chosen virtue. Put differently, persistent self-control across choice and quantity decisions is observed only when those with a dietary goal show successful self-control enactment in the choice stage. We therefore highlight that the operation of self-control can be dynamic within a consumption episode, and thus, choice and post-choice quantity are both informative of self-control.
摘要:
在文献中,观察到的代表相对恶习和相对美德的选项之间的选择通常被用作饮食自我控制的量度。然而,即使自我控制操作可能会在选择后消费阶段出现,与选择阶段相似或不同,大多数先前的研究都忽略了所选选项的消费数量。虽然选择美德而不是恶习的行为确实表现出自我控制,我们研究这在后选择消费中的表现。具体来说,我们发现,当处理资源有限时,在选择了一种美德食物后,具有讽刺意味的是,无节制的饮食者比有节制的饮食者消耗更多的热量(研究1)。这反映了节制饮食者在选择后消费阶段比不节制饮食者更持久的自我控制,之所以发生这种情况,是因为选择一种美德会降低不受约束的饮食者相对于受约束的饮食者的自我控制目标的可及性(研究2),从而增加良性食物的摄入量。相比之下,在选择了恶习之后,无节制饮食者和有节制饮食者在摄入量(研究1)或目标可达性(研究2)方面没有任何差异。一起,这些结果表明,选择后消费阶段自我控制的持久性取决于个体的饮食限制和他们在选择决定中的初始自我控制。仅仅选择一种美德的行为满足了无节制的饮食者的自我控制目标,并导致食物摄入量增加,而相同的行为在节制的食客中保持相同的目标激活,这些食客减少了所选择的美德的摄入量。换句话说,只有当那些有饮食目标的人在选择阶段显示成功的自我控制时,才会观察到跨选择和数量决定的持续自我控制。因此,我们强调,在消费事件中,自我控制的操作可以是动态的,因此,选择和后选择数量都是自我控制的信息。