Modelling of food intake in Brazil and Germany: Examining the effects of self-construals.
The current research focused on the influence of informational eating norms on people's food intake, and examined whether this influence was moderated by participants' self-construal levels. In two experiments, a two (intake norm manipulation: low vs. high) by two (self-construal manipulation: interdependent versus independent) between-participant factorial design was used. The studies were conducted in Brazil (Experiment 1) and in Germany (Experiment 2) as participants' self-construal levels differ between these countries. In Experiment 1, results indicated that participants exposed to a high-intake norm ate more than participants exposed to a low-intake norm. However, self-construal was not found to moderate the influence of food intake norms on participants' intake. In Experiment 2, replicating the results of Experiment 1, exposure to a high-intake norm increased participants' food intake, but self-construals again did not moderate modelling effects on food intake. Although differences in individuals' self-construal were found between both countries, they did not affect the magnitude of modelling effects on eating. Our studies provide evidence for cross-cultural similarity in the extent to which Brazilian and German female young adults are vulnerable to modelling effects on food intake, independent on their self-construal.
Jacobs University Bremen & Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS), Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany. Electronic address: ehirata@bigsss-bremen.de.
Elizabeth
E
Hirata
Jacobs University Bremen & Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS), Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany.
Ulrich
U
Kühnen
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Roel C J
RC
Hermans
Jacobs University Bremen & Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS), Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany.
Sonia
S
Lippke
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008960:Models, Psychological; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D055815:Young Adult
Eating behaviour; Food intake; Self-construal; Social modelling