Modeling of palatable food intake. The influence of quality of social interaction

This study investigates the effects of the quality of social interaction on modeling of food intake among young women. A two (confederate's food intake: high versus low) by two (confederate's sociability: sociable versus unsociable) between-participant factorial design was employed. A total of 100 young women (18–27 years) participated. Findings indicated that young women generally ate more when exposed to a high-intake peer than women exposed to a low-intake peer. However, this modeling effect was only found in the unsociable context. This study underscores the influence of social atmosphere on modeling effects of palatable food intake and suggests that contextual uncertainty or ingratiation strategies may be important in explaining the magnitude of modeling effects.