DISCUSS SUCCESS AND FAILURES OF EATING.

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AO1 Restraint Theory-Failure

­­Restraint theory proposed by Herman and Mack suggest that attempting not to eat actually increases the probability of overeating, which is why many diets fail. In an attempt to explain why dieting may to overeating, Herman and Mack developed the boundary model. According to this model, hunger keeps intake of food above a certain minimum and satiety works to keep intake below some maximum level. Between these two level, psychological factors have the greatest impact on consumption. According to this model, dieters have a larger range between their hunger and satiety levels, so it takes them longer to feel hungry and more food to feel satisfied. Dieters also have a self imposed desirable level of food intake. When they perceive themselves as going beyond this level they experience the disinhibition effect and continue to eat until satisfied. They are more likely to go over this level. If they have eaten something forbidden like cake.

ATTITUDES TO FOODS AND FACTORS

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AO1 Parents

As children’s parents usually provide for them, it seems obvious that parental attitudes to food will affect their children’s attitudes toward the food too. This can be explained by SLT. This occurs when children observe their parents eating. In this sense the parents act as eating role model. Observing parents getting rewarded by enjoying eating certain foods, the children earn to imitate these food preferences as they expect to receive similar rewards by doing so. This theory would therefore argue that children should show similar preferences from them through a process of vicarious learning.

Discuss neural mechanisms involved in eating behaviour.

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AO1 Dual Centre Hypothesis

The dual centre hypothesis suggests that eating behaviour is controlled via a homeostatic system whereby neural mechanisms play a key role. The hypothalamus is the main area of the brain that regulates eating. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) acts as the ‘hunger centre’ and is triggered by falling blood glucose levels and rising ghrelin levels (a hormone released when the stomach is empty). The Ventro-medial hypothalamus (VMH) acts as the satiety centre and is triggered by falling levels of ghrelin, rising levels of CCK (a hormone released when the food is detected in the duodenum) and rising levels of leptin. Neuropeptide Y is thought to be associated with the initiation of eating. Dopamine may be relevant to eating behaviour in that it is commonly associated with the reward pathway in the brain. When dopamine is released in response to eating, it is likely to provide positive feelings for an individual. This is likely to be associated with eating and thus eating becomes a pleasurable experience.

Discuss evolutionary explanations for food preferences.

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AO1 Bitter Taste

An example of an evolved food preference is that the experience of bitter taste has evolved to detect potentially harmful toxins in plants. Sandell and Breslin (2006) screened 35 adults for the bitter taste receptor gene. Those with the sensitive form of this gene were more likely to experience toxic glucoseinolates as bitter, which would explain why such genes are widespread In modern times.

Discuss PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF AN.

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AO1 Media 

The media has been regarded as an explanation for anorexia nervosa. The media are a major source of influence for body image attitudes maintained by western adolescents. For example the portrayal of thin models on television and in magazines acts as a ‘model’ for adolescent girls in which they become concerned with body image and ‘thinness’ in order to imitate these models. The media however does not influence everyone in the same way for example individuals with low self esteem are more likely to compare themselves to idealised images portrayed in the media says Jones and Buckingham.

Discuss Biological explanations of Anorexia Nervosa.

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AO1 AFFH

An attempt at explaining anorexia nervosa (AN) has been explained by Guisinger’s (2003) adapted to flee famine hypothesis (AFFH). AFFH fits under the evolutionary approach, but is also a biological explanation. Guisinger proposes that AN is part of behaviours adaptive in the environment of the evolutionary adaptation (EEA). In hunter-gatherer society, there would have been prolonged periods of famine and it would have been necessary to move on regularly when food resources were exhausted. To cope with this, people would have keep active despite lack of energy. Guisinger draws a parallel with anorexics, who tend to have high activity levels and restlessness, despite the typical response to starvation being inactivity and depression. Therefore, she hypothesised, high levels of activity and a denial of hunger, necessary to migrate in times of famine, and are explanation of AN today.