Delay discounting moderates the effect of food reinforcement on energy intake among non-obese women.

Recent theoretical approaches to food intake hypothesize that eating represents a balance between reward-driven motivation to eat versus inhibitory executive function processes, however this hypothesis remains to be tested. The objective of the current study was to test the hypothesis that the motivation to eat, operationalized by the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food, and inhibitory processes, assessed by delay discounting (DD), interact to influence energy intake in an ad libitum eating task. Female subjects (n = 24) completed a DD of money procedure, RRV task, and an ad libitum eating task in counterbalanced sessions.

Parent-child concordance of Taq1 A1 allele predicts similarity of parent-child weight loss in behavioral family-based treatment programs.

Family-based treatments show positive relationships between parent and child weight losses. One mechanism for similar parent-child changes may be a common genetic predisposition to respond similarly to a structured weight loss program. We examined whether concordance of the Taq1 A1 allele of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) predicts similarities in zBMI change in 26 families with obese parents and overweight/obese 8-12-year-old children.

Food reinforcement, delay discounting and obesity.

Choice is a central construct in behavioral economics, with choice research divided into choice of concurrent alternative reinforcers, which is conceptualized as relative reinforcing value, or choice of small immediate versus larger delayed rewards, usually of the same commodity, which is conceptualized as delay of gratification and delay discounting. Relative reinforcing value, delay of gratification and delay discounting paradigms can be used to study obesity, which involves strong motivation to obtain and consume food reinforcers. Strong food reinforcement and difficulties in delay of gratification are risk factors for child weight gain, and both are related to individual differences in overweight/obesity.

The influence of taxes and subsidies on energy purchased in an experimental purchasing study.

There is limited research on how taxes and subsidies would influence the energy and nutritional quality of food purchases. Using an experimental analogue purchasing task, we examined the effects of increasing the price of high-calorie-for-nutrient foods or reducing the price of low-calorie-for-nutrient foods by 12.5% and 25% on mothers' purchases of 68 common foods and drinks.

A questionnaire approach to measuring the relative reinforcing efficacy of snack foods.

Behavioral choice theory and laboratory choice paradigms can provide a framework to understand the reinforcing efficacy or reinforcing value of food. Reinforcing efficacy is measured in the laboratory by assessing how much effort one will engage in to gain access to food as the amount of work progressively increases. However, this method to establish demand curves as estimates of reinforcer efficacy is time consuming and limits the number of reinforcers that can be tested.

Food reinforcement and impulsivity in overweight children and their parents.

Pediatric obesity involves choices among healthy and less healthy alternatives, as well as choices whose consequences vary over time, such as engaging in unhealthy behaviors now at the expense of future health. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative reinforcing value of food and behavioral impulsivity under different experimental conditions in a sample of 50 families screened for participation in a pediatric obesity treatment program. Relative reinforcing value for food versus money was studied under conditions in which increased response requirements were placed on either access to food or money, and the amount of money, the alternative reinforcer, was varied.

Price and maternal obesity influence purchasing of low- and high-energy-dense foods.

Background: Price can influence food purchases, which can influence consumption. Limited laboratory research has assessed the effect of price changes on food purchases, and no research on individual differences that may interact with price to influence purchases exists.

Objective: We aimed to assess the influence of price changes of low-energy-density (LED) and high-energy-density (HED) foods on mother's food purchases in a laboratory food-purchasing analogue.

Relationship of mother and child food purchases as a function of price: a pilot study.

To our knowledge, there are no data on parental influences on child purchasing behavior of healthy or unhealthy foods. Mothers and children in ten families were given 5.00 US dollars to purchase portions of preferred fruits/vegetables and high energy-dense snack foods for each of ten trials of price manipulations.

Purchases of food in youth. Influence of price and income.

One way to increase choice of healthy over unhealthy behaviors is to increase the cost of less healthy alternatives or reduce the cost of healthier alternatives. The influence of price on purchases of healthy and unhealthy foods was evaluated in two laboratory experiments. In Experiment 1, thirty-two 10- to 12-year-old youth were given $5.