Are We What We Eat?: A Study on Food-Intake and Preparation Judgment
Location
FA 202
Department
Psychology
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate what judgements are generated by a target eaters’ type of diet and from where this diet is prepared, hence “are you what and where you eat?”. Prior research acknowledges judgements associated with healthy or unhealthy diets; however, there is a lack of research surrounding judgments associated with where food is prepared. This is problematic due to an increasing population ordering takeout, in part due to technological advances of food-delivery applications as well as government restrictions on restaurant dining during the COVID-19 pandemic.Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four passages that describes a target eater whose diet consists of either healthy (i.e.., ) or unhealthy (i.e., ) food and the food is either said to be home cooked or takeout. A gender neutral name was assigned to the target eater to reduce gender-bias because prior data indicates that males and females are judged differently based on their food-intake. Participants will then be directed to complete a 15-item survey regarding their judgment of the target individuals on various traits (e.g., X and X) on a 1 to X scale. The hypotheses include that participants will judge target eaters in the healthy passages more favorably than the target eater in the unhealthy passages. Also, participants will judge target eaters who home-cook their meals more favorably than the target eater who orders takeout for their meals. Lastly, target eaters who are said to eat takeout and unhealthy meals will be judged less favorably than those targets who are said to eat more home cooked and healthy meals. Data will be analyzed using a 2 X 2 between participants ANOVA. This study creates a dialogue for investigation of judgment into an increasing population of takeout as well as adds to prior data on food-intake judgment.
Faculty Sponsor
Amanda Dykema-Engblade, Northeastern Illinois University
Are We What We Eat?: A Study on Food-Intake and Preparation Judgment
FA 202
The objective of this study is to investigate what judgements are generated by a target eaters’ type of diet and from where this diet is prepared, hence “are you what and where you eat?”. Prior research acknowledges judgements associated with healthy or unhealthy diets; however, there is a lack of research surrounding judgments associated with where food is prepared. This is problematic due to an increasing population ordering takeout, in part due to technological advances of food-delivery applications as well as government restrictions on restaurant dining during the COVID-19 pandemic.Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four passages that describes a target eater whose diet consists of either healthy (i.e.., ) or unhealthy (i.e., ) food and the food is either said to be home cooked or takeout. A gender neutral name was assigned to the target eater to reduce gender-bias because prior data indicates that males and females are judged differently based on their food-intake. Participants will then be directed to complete a 15-item survey regarding their judgment of the target individuals on various traits (e.g., X and X) on a 1 to X scale. The hypotheses include that participants will judge target eaters in the healthy passages more favorably than the target eater in the unhealthy passages. Also, participants will judge target eaters who home-cook their meals more favorably than the target eater who orders takeout for their meals. Lastly, target eaters who are said to eat takeout and unhealthy meals will be judged less favorably than those targets who are said to eat more home cooked and healthy meals. Data will be analyzed using a 2 X 2 between participants ANOVA. This study creates a dialogue for investigation of judgment into an increasing population of takeout as well as adds to prior data on food-intake judgment.