Distractibility in dieters and nondieters: An alternative view of "externality."

Performed 2 experiments in an investigation of the effects of distraction and emotional arousal on the proofreading performance of 60 dieting and nondieting female undergraduates. In Exp I, it was found that distraction initially impaired the performance of dieters and facilitated the performance of nondieters, a pattern previously shown by J. Rodin (see record 1973-27101-001) to apply to obese and normal weight Ss, respectively, and interpreted as evidence of greater externality in the obese. Subsequent retesting of the same Ss in succeeding months, however, revealed a complete reversal of the original results. In Exp II, the reaction to distraction found in the first phase of Exp I was obtained when Ss were in a situation of minimal threat. In a situation of high threat, the relative distractibility of dieters was reversed, as in the latter phases of Exp I. An explanation is offered for these data in terms of the greater emotionality of dieters, the susceptibility of cognitive performance to arousal (distraction, anxiety) manipulations, and the potentially competing effects of distraction and anxiety. Implications for the prevailing "trait" view of externality (stimulus binding) are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Restraint, weight loss, and variability of body weight.

Restrained and unrestrained Ss (n?=?24) were weighed daily for a 6-wk period and again 6 mo later in order to determine whether dietary restraint or relative body weight is the better predictor of weight variability. Restraint was a significantly better predictor of naturally occurring weight fluctuations than was relative body weight. Furthermore, the 2 factors of the Restraint Scale, Concern for Dieting and Weight Fluctuations, were both significant predictors of weight variability. We propose that exaggerated weight fluctuations are not a natural concomitant of higher body weight but possibly the consequence of a cycle of dieting and overeating, which seems to preclude actual weight loss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internal and external components of emotionality in restrained and unrestrained eaters.

Compared the affective responsiveness of dieters and nondieters. 47 male college students rated the emotional impact of projected slides in a situation similar to that used by P. Pliner et al (see record 1974-27296-001) with obese and normal Ss. The present findings show that dieters, like the obese, were more extreme emotional responders. When Ss were given an internal source of arousal (i.e., caffeine), nondieters became more emotional and dieters became less emotional. These results are discussed in terms of S. Schachter's (1971) "externality" model of obesity and S. Schachter and J. E. Singer's "external–internal" theory of emotion. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the induction of emotion in the laboratory: Discrete moods or multiple affect states?

To study the effects of various emotions on behavior, psychologists have traditionally used one of a variety of mood-induction techniques. A manipulation check measuring the mood in question is used to determine the success of the mood induction. Evidence indicates, however, that attempting to induce one particular emotion may actually result in arousal of several affects. Results from the present 4 experiments with undergraduate Ss indicated that so-called standard manipulations or producing particular discrete emotions actually gave rise to multiple moods. Even naturally occurring emotions occurred in clusters rather than singly. Implications for laboratory study of emotion and the nature of emotional responses in general are discussed. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol and tension reduction: cognitive and physiological effects

Previous research indicates that the tension reduction hypothesis of alcoholism has received little empirical support. There is also evidence that cognitive and social variables mediate the effects of alcohol. The present investigation with 40 male undergraduates examined separately the cognitive and pharmacological effects of alcohol by manipulating Ss' expectancies. It was found that although alcohol is a pharmacologic sedative and reduces anxiety, the cognition that one is drinking alcohol increases anxiety. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of anxiety on eating: Does palatability moderate distress-induced overeating in dieters?

When confronted with an anxiety-producing threat to self-esteem, restrained eaters (dieters) increase their food consumption. The functional explanation suggests that increased eating temporarily counteracts or masks dysphoria for the restrained eater; externality or stimulus sensitivity theories propose that distress shifts the dieter's attention to external stimulus properties (e.g., taste) and to activities stimulated by such external cues. In an attempt to distinguish between these two explanations, anxious and nonanxious restrained and unrestrained eaters were given palatable and unpalatable foods, and consumption was measured. Results support the functional explanations: Distressed dieters increased their intake of food regardless of taste properties. Theoretical and practical implications for both restrained eating and the behavior of eating disorder patients are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-awareness, task failure, and disinhibition: how attentional focus affects eating

Prolonged continuous blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) recordings from neonates of 35 to 42 weeks gestation were studied during and after ECMO. Data segments with significant deviation of BP were extracted for further analysis. The simultaneous changes in BP and HR were compared and the slope of the regression determined baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). Of 464 BP deviations, 98% produced curves with a negative slope consistent with the presence of a baroreflex. The average BRS was -1.0 +/- 0.8 bpm/mmHg (mean +/- S.D.) and curves were steeper during rising BP than falling BP (-1.1 +/- 0.9 beats/min per mmHg versus -0.9 +/- 0.6, P = 0.001). The baroreflex was more sensitive during ECMO than after ECMO to both rising BP (-1.0 +/- 0.5 beats/min per mmHg versus -0.7 +/- 0.5, P = 0.004) and falling BP (-1.0 +/- 0.6 beats/min/mmHg versus -0.7 +/- 0.5, P = 0.04). HR response curves obtained during different BP fluctuations on the same recording had varying threshold, consistent with acute resetting. One infant demonstrated chronic baroreceptor resetting over 3 days to a rise in resting BP. The near-term, critically ill neonate has an active baroreflex which is capable of resetting. ECMO was associated with accentuation of the baroreflex response.     

Internal and external moderators of the effect of variety on food intake.

Many factors contribute to how much we eat. One such factor is the variety of different foods available. The current article reviews the variety literature with a specific focus on the factors that moderate the effects of variety on food intake and that moderate the processes that may underlie the variety effect (i.e., sensory-specific satiety and monotony). The moderators have been categorized as being of either an internal nature or an external nature. The literature suggests that internal moderators, including characteristics such as gender, weight, and dietary restraint, do not act as moderators of the variety effect. One possible exception to the absence of internal moderators is old age. Alternatively, external moderators, such as particular properties of food and the eater’s perception of the situation, appear to affect the strength of the variety effect on intake to some degree. An evolutionary hypothesis may account for the distinct roles that internal and external variables play in moderating the variety effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A conical model for the taxonomy of emotional experience.

Obtained from 34 female undergraduates ratings of the intensity of the feelings they experienced while viewing 5 emotion-laden slides. A 3-dimensional model was found to best represent emotional experience. A circular organization of emotions was replicated; however, an intensity dimension extended from this circular base to a neutral point in such a manner as to approximate the surface area of a cone. Affective adjectives were arranged on the cone at heights according to their intensities. Intense adjectives such as "disgusted" or "happy" fell near the base of the cone, whereas less intense adjectives such as "attentive" or "pleasant" fell near the neutral tip. An interpretation that integrates 2 major theories is presented; it describes emotions as a number of distinct dimensions anchored at the neutral tip of the cone and extended to form a circular ordering at the base. (52 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical depression and weight change: A complex relation.

Based on previous research on the effects of emotional arousal on eating behavior, it was predicted that clinical depression would not result invariably in appetite suppression and weight loss. Normally restrained eaters were expected to show weight gain as a consequence of emotional distress, whereas normally unrestrained eaters were expected to show the traditionally predicted weight loss. Nine female and 3 male 21-44 yr old clinically depressed patients were designated as restrained or unrestrained eaters, and it was found that the former tended to gain weight (as indicated in self-reports) in conjunction with their depression while the latter tended to lose weight. It is concluded that weight changes bear a complex but systematic relation to emotional distress and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)