Comparing the effects of inhibitory control training and evaluative conditioning for unhealthy food behaviours.

Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) is hypothesised to reduce unhealthy food preference and consumption through the completion of computerised cognitive training tasks. While there is evidence to suggest that two popular CBM paradigms (Inhibitory Control Training (ICT) and Evaluative Conditioning (EC)) can have a positive influence on food-related outcomes, issues (and inconsistencies) related to task standardisation and control group design make it difficult to evaluate their standalone efficacy. In a pre-registered laboratory study using a mixed experimental design, our aim was to directly compare a single session of ICT and EC on implicit preference, explicit choice and ad-libitum food intake, while ensuring appropriate active control groups were utilised for each training type (in addition to a passive control group).

Are commonly used lab-based measures of food value and choice predictive of self-reported real-world snacking? An ecological momentary assessment study.

Objectives: While the assessment of actual food intake is essential in the evaluation of behaviour change interventions for weight-loss, it may not always be feasible to collect this information within traditional experimental paradigms. For this reason, measures of food preference (such as measures of food value and choice) are often used as more accessible alternatives. However, the predictive validity of these measures (in relation to subsequent food consumption) has not yet been studied.

'Don't stop believing': The role of training beliefs in cognitive bias modification paradigms.

Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) paradigms have previously been applied to target appetite (craving, hunger) and food intake, and are hypothesised to reduce unhealthy food consumption. However, inconsistencies in relation to training outcomes raise questions regarding the efficacy of CBM as a standalone intervention. Furthermore, individual level factors (such as belief in the intervention efficacy) may influence expectations of behaviour change following training.

Examining cognitive bias modification interventions for reducing food value and choice: Two pre-registered, online studies.

There is considerable interest in Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) as a potential treatment for overweight/obesity. Inhibitory Control Training (ICT: also known as motor response training) and Evaluative Conditioning (EC) are two popular paradigms which rely on associatively learned responses (unhealthy food - > inhibition, or unhealthy food- > negative stimulus, respectively) through repeated cue-response contingencies. Both ICT and EC have demonstrated some effectiveness for reducing food intake, value and/or choice, when administered in the laboratory and online.