Exploring Food Focus and Mindset Change with Dot Probe Test.

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Purpose of the study

I am a third year Psychology student at the University of Central Lancashire currently conducting online research about how people’s thoughts and feelings about food can change. I want to understand how different ways of thinking about food might affect the choices you make when you see images of healthy or less healthy food. By understanding this, I hope to find better ways to help people make healthier food choices in the future.
To help me with my research I am looking for participants aged 18 or older.
Please read the information on this page carefully so you can decide if you want to take part.

Study Procedure

If you agree to participate, you will be required to complete a short questionnaire to provide details such as your age, gender, height and weight as well as whether you consider yourself a ‘restricted eater’ (which in this case means you are restricting what you eat for weight reasons) and how hungry you feel at the start of the test.
You will be given an opportunity to practice the task before we begin the study.
Then you will be asked to look at a series of two pictures for a short time (half a second). Hidden behind one of the pictures is a circle and when the pictures disappear, you will indicate which side the circle was hidden as quickly as you can by pressing a button on your keyboard or screen.
Halfway through the series of pictures, there will be a break and you will be asked to write a short sentence about food.
Once that is completed, the second half of the picture pairs will begin, and you will again indicate the position of the circle.

Some questions and the images relate to food, both nutritious and processed. If you feel that thinking about food, eating, or weight or that looking at pictures of food might be distressing for you, please do not take part.

As the test is measuring your response time, please complete it in a space where you are unlikely to be disturbed.
Consent and your right to withdraw.

Participation in the study is completely voluntary. All information and data collected will remain completely anonymous and confidential. Data collected will be stored securely for 5 years.
The data will be used for my dissertation. Only the researcher (myself), my dissertation supervisor and others with legitimate academic need will have access to the data. Should the data be accessed, you and the answers you provide will remain anonymous as no identifying information will be stored.
You can withdraw from this study until the point of submitting the completed test by closing your browser or not clicking ‘submit’ at the end of the test. However, once you have submitted your results, you will not be able to withdraw as all data is anonymised and individual responses will be impossible to identify.
If you decide to withdraw while completing the test, clicking on the ‘I wish to withdraw' button will direct you to the debrief sheet.

Contact info

Please contact me or my supervisor if you need any more information or have any questions.
Thank you!

Student contact details: Jonathan Sheriff – jsheriff@uclan.ac.uk
Supervisor contact details: Dr Debbie Pope – dpope2@uclan.ac.uk
School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Princess Way, Burnley, BB12 0EQ

If you have concerns about the research and you wish to raise them with somebody who is independent of the research team, please contact the University Officer for Ethics (officerforethics@uclan.ac.uk)

If you have been affected by eating disorders in any way, help, support and advice is available.

Beat Eating Disorders - www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Helpline (England) 0808 801 0677
Helpline (Scotland) 0808 801 0432
Helpline (Wales) 0808 801 0433
Helpline (Northern Ireland) 0808 801 0434

Mental Health Information and Support
Mind - www.mind.org.uk/information-support
Urgent Help - www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help
Infoline – 0300 1233393

Welcome, and thank you for your participation in this task!
We'll collect some details on the next page. All the information you provide is anonymous.
If you prefer not to continue with the study, you can leave the page at any time by closing your internet browser and your data will not be used.

Age -

Gender -

Height -

Weight -

How hungry do you feel right now? - 1 (not hungry) to 7 (very hungry)

Restricted Diet (are you restricting what you eat for weight loss goals?)

On the next screen we'll test your keys are working.

Press each key to continue.

Z
M

Procedure:
  1. A focusing cross will appear on the screen.
  2. Following the cross, two pictures will be presented.
  3. After a pause, the pictures will disappear.
Your Task:

Identify the location of the circle on the screen, whether it was on the left or right side.
Use the corresponding key to log your response as quickly as possible. ("z" for left side, "m" for right side").

Reminder:

Press the key associated with the side where the circle was located ("z" for left side, "m" for right side") to record your response as quickly as possible.

This is a practice, the results won't be collected.

Reminder:

Press the key associated with the side where the circle was located ("z" for left side, "m" for right side") to record your response as quickly as possible.

Press space to begin.

Please write a short sentence (25 to 150 characters) highlighting the negative aspects of eating unhealthy foods and why you should avoid them in your daily choices. There is no right or wrong answer.
Focus on the drawbacks and bad feelings that come with opting for less nourishing options. 0 char(s)

Please write a short sentence between 25 and 150 characters.

How much do you agree with the following statements?

1. By incorporating unhealthy foods into my lifestyle, I can cause significant harm to my well-being.

Please complete question 1.

2. Making consistently unhealthy choices in my daily diet will damage my health.

Please complete question 2.

3. I want to avoid substantial harms to my health from a poor diet.

Please complete question 3.

4. Eating unhealthy food is harmful and makes me feel bad.

Please complete question 4.

5. Consistently making unhealthy choices will undoubtedly lead to negative outcomes for my health and well-being.

Please complete question 5.

Please write a short sentence (25 to 150 characters) expressing some positive benefits of incorporating healthy foods into your lifestyle and achieving your wellness goals. There is no right or wrong answer.
Focus on the benefits and good feelings that come with making nourishing and healthy choices. 0 char(s)

Please write a short sentence between 25 and 150 characters.

How much do you agree with the following statements?

1. By incorporating healthy foods into my lifestyle, I can make a significant positive contribution to my well-being.

Please complete question 1.

2. Making consistently nourishing and healthy choices in my daily diet will improve my health.

Please complete question 2.

3. I view the substantial health benefits associated with eating nutritious food very positively.

Please complete question 3.

4. Eating a variety of healthy and nutritious foods is exciting and delicious.

Please complete question 4.

5. Consistently making nourishing choices will undoubtedly lead to positive outcomes for my health and well-being.

Please complete question 5.

Reminder:

Press the key associated with the side where the circle was located ("z" for left side, "m" for right side") to record your response as quickly as possible.

Press space to begin.

Thank you for your participation in this research study.

This research is examining how people’s thoughts and feelings about food can change. I want to understand how different ways of thinking about food might affect the choices you make when you see different types of food like unprocessed food, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, or highly processed food like biscuits or fast food. By understanding this, I hope to find better ways to help people make healthier food choices in the future.

The Theories

There are three theories that make up the study. One suggests that our attention might gravitate to certain types of foods without us being aware of it (Food Attention Bias). The other says we might be able to consciously train ourselves to change that focus (Cognitive Reframing). Finally, there is a theory that we respond differently to a positive goal than to a negative goal (Approach-Avoidance Motivation).
I want to explore whether encouraging people to think about nutritious food has a different effect on our hidden bias compared to thinking about avoiding processed food. In other words, do efforts in changing our bias work better when we focus on the positive aspects (approach) of thinking about why nutritious food is good for us, or when we focus on the potential harm that processed food can have on us (avoid)?
By researching this area, it is hoped that a better understanding of whether people respond better to positive or negative motivation when changing their diet can be found. That understanding might have implications when deciding health strategies and promoting healthier eating habits both at an individual and public level.

Please remember that if you have submitted your answers, you will be unable to withdraw your data from the study as it is anonymous and can’t be identified.
If this study has raised any issues for you, particularly in relation to eating, nutrition, body image or anything raised in the study, the contacts below can offer help and support.

Student contact details: Jonathan Sheriff – jsheriff@uclan.ac.uk
Supervisor contact details: Dr Debbie Pope – dpope2@uclan.ac.uk
School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Princess Way, Burnley, BB12 0EQ

If you have concerns about the research and you wish to raise them with somebody who is independent of the research team, please contact the University Officer for Ethics (officerforethics@uclan.ac.uk)

If you have been affected by eating disorders in any way, help, support and advice is available.

Beat Eating Disorders - www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Helpline (England) 0808 801 0677
Helpline (Scotland) 0808 801 0432
Helpline (Wales) 0808 801 0433
Helpline (Northern Ireland) 0808 801 0434

Mental Health Information and Support
Mind - www.mind.org.uk/information-support
Urgent Help - www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help
Infoline – 0300 1233393