Questions Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating
Behaviour
Lecture 1 Models of food choice
What is food choice?
Refers to the selection and consumption of food and beverages. Is about WHAT,
HOW MUCH, WHEN, WHERE AND WITH WHOM WE EAT.
Why should we need models (function)?
Descriptive/explanation + predictive.
What types of models do we have?
1. Existing vs new models (deductive / inductive)
2. Mono vs multi-factorial
3. Qualitative vs quantitative
What are the determinants of food choice?
1. Availability!
2. Biological aspects
a. (Innate) taste biases: preference for sweet and avoidance of bitter
b. The Omnivore’s dilemma van Rozin: neophobia vs neophilia
3. Psychological aspects
a. Increase (perceived) variety -> increased consumption
4. Social aspects
a. In ‘low-income’-countries low risk for obesity in lower social classes
b. In ‘upper-middle-income’-countries high risk for obesity in lower
social classes
5. Cultural aspects!
Mention 4 food choice models/theories
Food Choice Process model
Expectancy – value theory
Theory of reasoned action based on attitudes, intentions, behaviour.
Theory of planned behaviour
What are the 3 levels of the Food Choice Process model?
1. Life course
2. Influences: ideals, personal factors, resources, social factors, contexts.
3. Personal food system: development of food choice values, classification of
food and situations, value negotiation, balancing competing values,
strategies for recurring events (cognitive shortcuts). See slide 24.
Influences provide framework for personal food system → translated influences
into how and what one eats in particular situations
What are the main components of the Food Choice Process model over
the life course?
1. Food upbringing
a. Positive experiences → living on a farm, having a vegetable
garden
b. Negative experiences → being forced to eat vegetables as a child
, 2. Roles + role transitions
a. Marriage, divorce, employment, childbearing
3. Health
a. Acute and/or chronic illnesses, aging, self / others
4. Ethnic traditions
5. Resources
a. Perceived knowledge/skills, available time, space, money
6. Food system
a. Changing health and diet information, cultural trends in cuisine
Trajectory:
Transition point: shift in a person’s life that have a small impact on your
eating behaviour. E.g. new job with another canteen: different lunch.
Turning point: have a major impact on your food choice and eating patterns
e.g. becoming vegetarian.
Macro-contexts: society, culture, economy, government, e.g. law that
bakeries reduce salt content in bread.
Micro-contexts: families, friends, school, work, community, e.g. friends that
find it important that you eat a lot of vegetables.
What are the food choice values?
Taste: you eat what you like (can change)
Convenience: time and effort considerations
Cost: money consideration + related to ‘worth’ concept
Health: immediate and long-term physical well-being
Managing relationships: considerations on the interests of others
Other: e.g. quality, symbolism, safety, waste
What are the limitations of the Food Choice Process model?
1. Descriptive model, not predictive (broad but ‘shallow’)
2. Focus on specific factors but leaves out others (i.e. biology, to some extent
culture)
3. Oriented on post-industrial Western society
What is the expectancy-value (EV) theory?
Attitude to behaviour is in turn predicted by:
(set of salient) beliefs about the outcome of the behaviour
evaluation of that outcome
What is the theory of reasoned action (TRA)?
People intend to perform a behaviour when they evaluate it positively and when
they believe important others think they should perform it; they take into account
the available information and consider the implications of their actions.
Restriction: can only deal with purely volitional behaviours. In other words,
behaviours where successful performance of the behaviour are solely dependent
on the formation of an intention.
Behaviour
Lecture 1 Models of food choice
What is food choice?
Refers to the selection and consumption of food and beverages. Is about WHAT,
HOW MUCH, WHEN, WHERE AND WITH WHOM WE EAT.
Why should we need models (function)?
Descriptive/explanation + predictive.
What types of models do we have?
1. Existing vs new models (deductive / inductive)
2. Mono vs multi-factorial
3. Qualitative vs quantitative
What are the determinants of food choice?
1. Availability!
2. Biological aspects
a. (Innate) taste biases: preference for sweet and avoidance of bitter
b. The Omnivore’s dilemma van Rozin: neophobia vs neophilia
3. Psychological aspects
a. Increase (perceived) variety -> increased consumption
4. Social aspects
a. In ‘low-income’-countries low risk for obesity in lower social classes
b. In ‘upper-middle-income’-countries high risk for obesity in lower
social classes
5. Cultural aspects!
Mention 4 food choice models/theories
Food Choice Process model
Expectancy – value theory
Theory of reasoned action based on attitudes, intentions, behaviour.
Theory of planned behaviour
What are the 3 levels of the Food Choice Process model?
1. Life course
2. Influences: ideals, personal factors, resources, social factors, contexts.
3. Personal food system: development of food choice values, classification of
food and situations, value negotiation, balancing competing values,
strategies for recurring events (cognitive shortcuts). See slide 24.
Influences provide framework for personal food system → translated influences
into how and what one eats in particular situations
What are the main components of the Food Choice Process model over
the life course?
1. Food upbringing
a. Positive experiences → living on a farm, having a vegetable
garden
b. Negative experiences → being forced to eat vegetables as a child
, 2. Roles + role transitions
a. Marriage, divorce, employment, childbearing
3. Health
a. Acute and/or chronic illnesses, aging, self / others
4. Ethnic traditions
5. Resources
a. Perceived knowledge/skills, available time, space, money
6. Food system
a. Changing health and diet information, cultural trends in cuisine
Trajectory:
Transition point: shift in a person’s life that have a small impact on your
eating behaviour. E.g. new job with another canteen: different lunch.
Turning point: have a major impact on your food choice and eating patterns
e.g. becoming vegetarian.
Macro-contexts: society, culture, economy, government, e.g. law that
bakeries reduce salt content in bread.
Micro-contexts: families, friends, school, work, community, e.g. friends that
find it important that you eat a lot of vegetables.
What are the food choice values?
Taste: you eat what you like (can change)
Convenience: time and effort considerations
Cost: money consideration + related to ‘worth’ concept
Health: immediate and long-term physical well-being
Managing relationships: considerations on the interests of others
Other: e.g. quality, symbolism, safety, waste
What are the limitations of the Food Choice Process model?
1. Descriptive model, not predictive (broad but ‘shallow’)
2. Focus on specific factors but leaves out others (i.e. biology, to some extent
culture)
3. Oriented on post-industrial Western society
What is the expectancy-value (EV) theory?
Attitude to behaviour is in turn predicted by:
(set of salient) beliefs about the outcome of the behaviour
evaluation of that outcome
What is the theory of reasoned action (TRA)?
People intend to perform a behaviour when they evaluate it positively and when
they believe important others think they should perform it; they take into account
the available information and consider the implications of their actions.
Restriction: can only deal with purely volitional behaviours. In other words,
behaviours where successful performance of the behaviour are solely dependent
on the formation of an intention.
