PSYA3 - Eating Behaviour - Dieting

The boundary model (Herman and Polivy,1984)

Combines both physiological and psychological cognitive processes

We have a body weight set-point which we try to maintain

When we diet we set a cognitive boundary lower than the body weight set-point

Unrestrained eaters simply eat until they reach their body weight set-point

Dieters eat until they reach their cognitive boundary

Herman and Mack (1975) - 45 female students divided into 3 groups. 

• 1 group had no food as a preload before the 'taste test'
• another group had a high-calorie milkshake as a preload
• the third group had two milkshakes as a preload
• All groups given tubs of ice cream - told they could eat as much as they liked in 10 mins and then to rate it's taste.
• Then given a questionnaire on attitudes to food and dieting to identify restrained and unrestrained eaters.
• Unrestrained…