Food has the right of way: Evidence for prioritised processing of visual food stimuli irrespective of eating style. (1st November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kirsten, Hannah; Seib-Pfeifer, Laura-Effi; Koppehele-Gossel, Judith; Gibbons, Henning
• Is Part Of: Appetite. Volume 142(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-11-01
• Subjects: Attentional bias -- Attentional blink -- Food cues -- Eating styles; Food habits -- Periodicals; Appetite -- Periodicals; Appetite disorders -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 306.4613
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104372
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6663

Abstract

Abstract: Visual attention for food is likely to play an important role for overeating. The attentional bias for visual food stimuli was investigated with respect to self-reported restrained, external and emotional eating style. Using a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation task ( N = 103), the effects of visual food stimuli in the context of the attentional blink were examined. Food targets enhanced the attentional blink when presented as first targets in a rapid stream of pictures and impaired the identification of preceding non-food targets in terms of a backward interference when presented as second targets. Task irrelevant food distractors interfered with the identification of subsequent non-food targets. The effects provide evidence for a prioritisation of food stimuli in the allocation of attentional resources. The attentional bias for food emerged as a universal phenomenon irrespective of personal eating style. Therefore, enhanced attention for visual food stimuli seems to play no direct causal role in eating styles associated with overeating.