A dual-process psychobiological model of temperament predicts liking and wanting for food and trait disinhibition

Hedonic Overeating-Questionnaire: Exploring interactive effects between wanting, liking, and dyscontrol on body mass index

The Hedonic Overeating-Questionnaire is a brief self-report measure for the trait assessment of liking (pleasure to eat; consummatory reward component), wanting (food craving; anticipatory reward component), and dyscontrol (loss of control over eating). In the original validation study, higher scores on each of the three subscales related to higher body mass index (BMI). However, theories on food reward and self-regulation suggest that overeating and obesity may also result from interactions between these aspects. Therefore, we reanalyzed the data of the original, cross-sectional study (N = 2504, 53% female) and explored whether liking, wanting, and dyscontrol scores interactively predicted BMI. Indeed, there was a significant interaction effect Wanting × Dyscontrol on BMI such that higher dyscontrol scores related to higher BMI, particularly at high wanting scores. The other two-way interactions and the three-way interaction were not significant. Results do not support certain theories on food reward (e.g., the incentive-sensitization theory of addiction and its application to obesity), which would suggest an interactive effect between liking and wanting on BMI. However, they do support dual systems models of self-regulation that suggest that overeating and obesity result from an interplay of strong bottom-up impulses (here: wanting) and weak top-down control (here: dyscontrol).

Effortful control and health among triads of mothers and twin children: An actor-partner interdependence modeling approach

Associations between effortful control and physical and mental health were examined among triads of mothers and twin children by simultaneously modeling the effects of one's own effortful control on one's own health (actor effects) with the effects of the other two family members' effortful control on one's health (partner effects). Families (N = 761 individuals; 254 families) included mothers (M_age = 39.98, SD = 5.64) and their twin children (M_age = 8.58, SD = 0.57; 51% female; 54.7% non-Hispanic White, 28% Hispanic). Mothers completed online and in-person questionnaires, and mothers' and children's body composition indicators and dominant-handgrip strength were directly assessed during two home visits. Actor effects dominated in families with twin boys and mixed-sex twins, whereas partner effects were more apparent in families with twin girls. In addition, the effects of children's effortful control on mothers' health depended on the sex of the twins. Findings uncovered important family dynamics linking effortful control to health, including that associations may vary by sex match of children in the family. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Parsing the link between reinforcement sensitivity theory and eating behavior: A systematic review

The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) is a widely studied psychobiological model of personality. RST factors seem to influence eating behavior, but how these personality traits are associated with distinct features of eating behavior is still unclear. In the present systematic review, we analyzed the relationship between RST personality factors and eating behavior using a parsing approach in which BMI-related results, self-reported results, and behavioral results were distinguished. Our analysis revealed that reward and punishment sensitivity seem to correlate and influence distinct features of eating behavior. The association between BMI and RST factors was uncertain, but nonlinear associations between reward sensitivity and weight need further testing. Reward sensitivity was linked to most eating behavior phenotypes (e.g., emotional eating and restrained eating), but only punishment sensitivity was primarily correlated with eating pathology. Reward sensitivity was the main factor linked with reactivity to food stimuli on many behavioral measures. The neurobiological personality factors of RST offer parsimonious concepts to understand eating behavior outcomes and the differential relationships observed are useful to translational research.

Dispositional individual differences in cognitive effort investment: establishing the core construct

BACKGROUND

Individuals tend to avoid effortful tasks, regardless of whether they are physical or mental in nature. Recent experimental evidence is suggestive of individual differences in the dispositional willingness to invest cognitive effort in goal-directed behavior. The traits need for cognition (NFC) and self-control are related to behavioral measures of cognitive effort discounting and demand avoidance, respectively. Given that these traits are only moderately related, the question arises whether they reflect a common core factor underlying cognitive effort investment. If so, the common core of both traits might be related to behavioral measures of effort discounting in a more systematic fashion. To address this question, we aimed at specifying a core construct of cognitive effort investment that reflects dispositional differences in the willingness and tendency to exert effortful control.

METHODS

We conducted two studies (N = 613 and N = 244) with questionnaires related to cognitive motivation and effort investment including assessment of NFC, intellect, self-control and effortful control. We first calculated Pearson correlations followed by two mediation models regarding intellect and its separate aspects, seek and conquer, as mediators. Next, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a hierarchical model of cognitive effort investment as second-order latent variable. First-order latent variables were cognitive motivation reflecting NFC and intellect, and effortful self-control reflecting self-control and effortful control. Finally, we calculated Pearson correlations between factor scores of the latent variables and general self-efficacy as well as traits of the Five Factor Model of Personality for validation purposes.

RESULTS

Our findings support the hypothesized correlations between the assessed traits, where the relationship of NFC and self-control is specifically mediated via goal-directedness. We established and replicated a hierarchical factor model of cognitive motivation and effortful self-control that explains the shared variance of the first-order factors by a second-order factor of cognitive effort investment.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, our results integrate disparate literatures on cognitive motivation and self-control and provide a basis for further experimental research on the role of dispositional individual differences in goal-directed behavior and cost-benefit-models.

Attentional bias and response inhibition in severe obesity with food disinhibition: a study of P300 and N200 event-related potential

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

In obesity there is growing evidence for common mechanism between food intake regulation and substance use disorders, especially more attentional bias and less cognitive control. In the present study we investigated whether severely obese subjects with or without disordered eating exhibit electroencephalographic (EEG) event-related potential (ERP) modifications as observed in substance abusers.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A total of 90 women were included; 30 in the normal-weight (NW) group (18.5 < BMI < 24.5 kg/m²; no food disinhibition or restriction on the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire) and 60 participants with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m² were separated into two groups (n = 30): without food disinhibition (disinhibition score ≤8; ObFD- group) and with food disinhibition (score >8; ObFD+). Clinical and metabolic parameters as well as compartmental aspects (Eating Disorders Inventory-2, EDI-2) were assessed. Participants underwent an ERP recording with an auditory oddball paradigm.

RESULTS

The mean ± SD P300 amplitudes in Pz were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in ObFD- (12.4 ± 4.6) and ObFD+ (12.5 ± 4.4) groups than in the NW group (15.8 ± 5.9). The mean ± SD N200 amplitude in Cz was significantly lower in the ObFD- group (-2.0 ± 5.4) than in the NW group (-5.2 ± 4.2 vs; p = 0.035). N200 Cz amplitude was correlated with EDI-2 Binge eating risk score (ρ = 0.331; p = 0.01), EDI-2 Body Dissatisfaction score (ρ = 0.351; p = 0.007), and Drive for Thinness score (ρ = 0.26; p = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study provides evidence for reduction of P300 and N200 amplitude in obese women and that N200 amplitude may be related to more disordered eating and eating disorder risk. This leads to consider attentional bias and response inhibition as core mechanisms in obesity and as possible targets for new therapeutic strategy.