Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour - Role of contect in food choice

17 important questions on Psychobiology of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour - Role of contect in food choice

How to categorize context influences?

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Simultaneous contextual influences - labelling

Sensory lab practice -> samples presented in neutral way. But.., labellinghas substantial effect on product perception and preferences.
  • even when subjects know the information on the labels is false! 

Simultaneoes contextual influences - appropriateness

Occasion appropriateness -> foods rated on how appropriate they are to eat with certain...
- meals (breakfast, dinner)
- moods (sadness, happiness)
- special occasions (holidays, celebrations)
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Explain Schutz's Law of food choice:

Food choice = liking x appropriateness

liking: pleasantness
appropriateess: matching to use-context, person

Eating environment = (4 factors)

Ambient factors associated with eating, but independent of food;
  • atmospherics
  • effort
  • social faciliation
  • disctraction

Eating environment - atmospherics:

It all has effect on consumption volume.
Optimizing meal ambiance in Dutch nursing homes contributes to a higher energy intake.

Eating environment - social facilitation:

Eating with family or friends; 40-50% higher intake than eating alone

Food environment = (5 factors)

Factors relating to the way food is provided or presented:
  • salience
  • structure and organisation
  • size of package and portions
  • stockpiling
  • shape of plates, glasses and bowls

Food environment - salience:

There are all sorts of fast foods everywhere, which makes you go eat this
The office candy dish: proximity's and visibility's influence on estimated and actual consumption.
- When it is visual and close by, people eat the most

- If it's not visible, you see a big drop in eating
>> Visibility is key in this sense.

Food environment - structure and organisation:

  • (perceived) structure and variety of food can increase consumption volume
  • M&M candies (7 vs 10 different colours) >> effect of actual variety
  • Structure and organisation -> moderate perceived variety jelly beans in children + adults

Food environment - size package/portions:

  • Extreme package/portion sizes influence perceptions and preferences, even if not chosen, and can increase consumption
  • Mechanism -> size suggests consumption norm and activates certain expectation
  • Volume of food eaten is better indicator of reported fullness than calorie density

Food environment - Stockpiling (hamsteren):

  • Stockpiled food is quickly consumed -> makes food products more visible and salient

Food environment - shape plates, glasses:

The smaller the plate, the more food looks like is on the plate.
People feel more full for longer, only because of the other place next to it.


Study: Tall slender glass they could indicate quite good
Short wide glass they poured more when distracted. They were fooled by the shape of the glass.

Explain evoked context in light of balancing simplification and contextualization:

Use of...
  • text
    • brief written scenario's
    • imaging a specific consumption situation where product consumption would take place
  • audiorecordings
  • picture
... To evoke a consumption context what would be a natural consumption context

Explain immersive contexts in light of balancing simplification and contextualization:

Adding relevant context cues to the environment.
- mixed immersion: visual, audio, olfactory context cues (computer screen, headphone, cookie aroma)
- full immersion: visual, audio, olfactor context cues (video wall, surround sound speakers, cookie aroma)

Explain living labs in light of balancing simplification and contextualization:

  • Restaurant of the Future (WUR)
  • The living lab in France

Explain virtual reality in light of balancing simplification and contextualization:

Practical relevance

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