Field dependent eating and perception as a function of weight and sex

Abstract

It was hypothesized that the greater influence of external cues on obese than on normal individuals' eating behavior is a manifestation of a generalized sensitivity to external cues. Responsivity of nut consumption to the external cue of shells on the nuts and responsivity of judgment of verticality to the external cue of a tilted visual field were assessed for male and female, obese and normal-weight subjects. As predicted, both obese subjects' nut consumption and their judgments of verticality were more influenced by external cues than were those of normals. Females' judgments of verticality were more influenced by external cues than males' were, but the sex differences in eating behavior were not statistically significant. A significant correlation between the field dependence of subjects' eating behavior and their judgments of verticality suggests that a single cause may generate sensitivity to external cues in these two diverse situations.

Why most dieters fail but some succeed: A goal conflict model of eating behavior.

“…In a series of innovative laboratory and field studies that assessed the impact of external, eating-relevant cues on eating behavior, Schachter and colleagues provided ample evidence that these factors played a greater role in the eating regulation of overweight than of normal weight individuals (e.g., Goldman, Jaffa, & Schachter, 1968;McArthur & Burstein, 1975;Nisbett, 1968;L. Ross, 1974;Schachter, 1971;Schachter & Friedman, 1974;Schachter & Gross, 1968;Tom & Rucker, 1975; for a review, see Stroebe, 2008) and that the impact of these external cues was strengthened if their salience was increased (McArthur & Burstein, 1975;Ross, 1974;Schachter & Friedman, 1974;Slochower, 1983).…”