Die Rolle modaler und amodaler Repräsentationen bei unkontrolliertem Essverhalten

01/04/2020 to 31/03/2023

Uncontrolled eating is assumed to be determined by both an elevated activation and an insufficient inhibition of food-related stimuli. To date it is unknown which cognitive mechanisms and representations underlie these two behavioral tendencies. In the present proposal we investigate the hypothesis that eating behavior is driven by low-level, modal associations between sensory features of food stimuli and approach tendencies. In particular, we will examine whether elevated activation and insufficient inhibition of food-related stimuli in overweight and obese individuals is particularly strong when stimuli are presented in a pictorial format that presumably gives rise to more modal as compared to more amodal representations. Knowing more about the type of food-related representations underlying uncontrolled eating will also allow the development of effective intervention programs.