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Razzaghi-Asl S, Doğan SN, Tekatlı MT, Veldhuizen MG. Distraction suppresses high-fat flavor perception. Appetite 2024; 195:107177. [PMID: 38122869 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Distraction during eating contributes to overeating, and when habitually eating with distraction, this may contribute to the development of obesity. One of the proposed mediating mechanisms is the suppression of intensity perception in odor and taste. The effect of distraction on fat intensity perception in flavor, the multisensory combination of odor, taste, and other sensory aspects, is still unknown. In this study, 32 participants (22 women) performed a flavor perception task while also performing a distracting working memory task. In each trial, participants were instructed to observe and memorize a string of 3 (low cognitive load) or 7 (high cognitive load) consonants. Then they received a small quantity of a high- or low-fat chocolate drink, and after that, they were asked to select the string they tried to memorize from three answer options. Last, they rated the intensity and fattiness of the flavor. As intended, in the working memory task, we observed that with a high cognitive load (relative to a low cognitive load), accuracy decreased and response times increased. Regarding perception of the flavors, we observed that overall, high-fat drinks were rated as more intense and fattier. Cognitive load and fat content interacted, such that for the low-fat drink, intensity and fattiness ratings were similar under both cognitive loads; however, under the high cognitive load (relative to the low cognitive load), intensity and fattiness ratings for the high-fat drink were lower. Our results show that distraction can impact the perception of fat in high-fat drinks. If distraction primarily reduces perception of high-fat foods, this may pose a particular risk of overeating high-calorie foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Razzaghi-Asl
- Department of Cognitive Science, Informatic Institute, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | - Sümeyra Nur Doğan
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye; Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye
| | | | - Maria Geraldine Veldhuizen
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mersin University, Mersin, Türkiye; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Letters, Mersin University, Mersin, Türkiye; Biotechnology Research and Applications Center, Mersin University, Mersin, Türkiye.
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van Meer F, van Steenbergen H, van Dillen LF. The effect of cognitive load on preference and intensity processing of sweet taste in the brain. Appetite 2023; 188:106630. [PMID: 37302413 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Distracted eating can cause overconsumption. Whereas previous work has shown that cognitive load suppresses perceived taste intensity and increases subsequent consumption, the mechanism behind distraction-induced overconsumption remains unclear. To elucidate this, we performed two event-related fMRI experiments that examined how cognitive load affects neural responses and perceived intensity and preferred intensity, respectively, to solutions varying in sweetness. In Experiment 1 (N = 24), participants tasted weak sweet and strong sweet glucose solutions and rated their intensity while we concurrently varied cognitive load using a digit-span task. In Experiment 2 (N = 22), participants tasted five different glucose concentrations under varying cognitive load and then indicated whether they wanted to keep, decrease or increase its sweetness. Participants in Experiment 1 rated strong sweet solutions as less sweet under high compared to low cognitive load, which was accompanied by attenuated activation the right middle insula and bilateral DLPFC. Psychophysiological interaction analyses showed that cognitive load moreover altered connectivity between the middle insula and nucleus accumbens and DLPFC and middle insula while tasting strong sweet solutions. In Experiment 2, cognitive load did not affect participants' preferred sweetness intensity. fMRI results revealed that cognitive load attenuated DLPFC activation for the strongest sweet solutions in the study. In conclusion, our behavioral and neuroimaging results suggest that cognitive load dampens the sensory processing of strong sweet solutions in particular, which may indicate higher competition for attentional resources for strong sweet than weak sweet solutions under high cognitive load. Implications for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floor van Meer
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Lotte F van Dillen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Knowledge Centre for Psychology and Economic Behaviour, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
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Ramírez-Rivera EDJ, Galván-Herrera ME, González-López C, Tello-Torres M, Sánchez-González CN, Guerrero-Ortiz CA, Hernández-Salinas G, Cabal-Prieto A, Herrera-Corredor JA. Novel Oaxaca cheese-based food products prepared by molecular cooking techniques: An insight into attributes, emotions, memories, and liking. Int J Gastron Food Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgfs.2023.100694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
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van Dillen LF, Hofmann W. Room for Feelings: A “Working Memory” Account of Affective Processing. EMOTION REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1177/17540739221150233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the past decades, affective science has overwhelmingly demonstrated the unique properties of affective information to bias our attention, memory, and decisions. At the same time, accumulating evidence suggests that neutral and affective representations rely on the same working memory substrates for the selection and computation of information and that they are therefore restricted by the same capacity limitations that these substrates impose. Here, we integrate these insights into a working memory model of affective processing (WMAP). Drawing on competitive access models of working memory, we discuss its role in the various stages of affective processing, from attentional selection to maintenance and memory storage, and resulting feelings and actions. We end our overview with some open questions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wilhelm Hofmann
- Department of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Visalli M, Wakihira T, Schlich P. Concurrent vs. immediate retrospective temporal sensory data collection: A case study on lemon-flavoured carbonated alcoholic drinks. Food Qual Prefer 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2022.104629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Martínez-Sánchez LM, Parra-Martínez C, Martínez-García TE, Martínez-García C. Cognitive Keys in Psychophysical Estimation of Chemosensory Perception in University Students. Foods 2021; 10:foods10123134. [PMID: 34945685 PMCID: PMC8701806 DOI: 10.3390/foods10123134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychophysical methods allow us to measure the relationship between stimuli and sensory perception. Of these, Detection Threshold (DT) allows us to know the minimum concentration to produce taste identification. Given this, we wonder whether, for example, wine tasting experts are more capable of perceiving their sensory properties than other people, or whether they can distinguish them because they are better able to “describe” them. To verify this, this study analyses the influence of having prior knowledge of the name astringency and, failing that, to detect it and distinguish it between the four basic tastes. One-hundred-and-sixty-two university students with an average age of 19.43 (SD = 2.55) years were assigned to three experimental conditions: an experimental group (G.2) without previous knowledge of the name astringency and with alimentary satiety, and two control groups, both with previous knowledge of the name, these being G.1, with satiety, and G.3, with hunger. DT was collected for the four basic tastes and astringencies. Results showed significant differences in the identification of astringency, being the least identified experimental group with respect to the control groups. It is striking that G.2, without prior knowledge of the name, identified astringency as a bitter taste in most cases. This supports our hypothesis of the importance of attending to linguistic cognitive processes when psychophysically estimating taste in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura María Martínez-Sánchez
- Department of Didactics of Physical, Plastic and Musical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz, 11519 Puerto Real, Spain
- Correspondence: (L.M.M.-S.); (C.M.-G.)
| | - Cecilio Parra-Martínez
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain;
| | | | - Concha Martínez-García
- Department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Sports Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
- Correspondence: (L.M.M.-S.); (C.M.-G.)
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Botha JJ, Cannon P, Hort J. Comparing a new rapid combined method (RapCoTT) with traditional approaches for phenotyping thermal taste. Physiol Behav 2021; 238:113482. [PMID: 34081949 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Thermal taste is the phenomenon whereby taste is induced in some individuals through the application of a changing temperature stimulus to the tongue. Research into thermal taste is currently limited by inefficient phenotyping methods, which result in large numbers of unclassified individuals. This study evaluated the performance of a new, rapid combined phenotyping approach (RapCoTT) compared to two classification approaches using traditional phenotyping methods. RapCoTT was found to be more efficient at classifying participants, whilst showing consistency in classification with existing approaches. However, learning effects impacted the efficiency of all methods, which are a likely consequence of the unusual nature of thermal taste. It was concluded that three training steps be included for the phenotyping, namely taste exposure, TCATA training and a practice run. RapCoTT was found to evoke similar patterns of perceived tastes to other methods, with some exceptions. RapCoTT provides a more efficient tool for categorising participants for comparing sensory perception and food choice behaviours within the Thermal taste phenotype and provides a robust approach for future research into the phenomenon of thermal taste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janita Jossie Botha
- Food Experience and Sensory Testing (Feast) Lab, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand; Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
| | - Peter Cannon
- Food Experience and Sensory Testing (Feast) Lab, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand; School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
| | - Joanne Hort
- Food Experience and Sensory Testing (Feast) Lab, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand; Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand.
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9
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Volz S, Ward A, Mann T. Eating up cognitive resources: Does attentional consumption lead to food consumption? Appetite 2021; 162:105165. [PMID: 33609586 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
What is the role played by attentional load in eating? Does attending to an unrelated task generally lead to overeating, perhaps by preventing individuals from focusing on a goal to limit consumption? Or does such attentional diversion typically lead to reductions in eating, perhaps by preventing people from noticing tempting features of relevant food cues? Past research has supported each of these two propositions, but comparisons between existing studies have been hampered to the extent that various experimental manipulations differ in the degree to which they occupy attention, as well as differing in the particular type of attentional resources they exploit. To resolve existing discrepancies in the literature, in a series of studies, we made use of a working memory manipulation, the n-back task (Kirchner, 1958), that can be systematically modified to induce varying levels of cognitive load, allowing for rigorous comparisons of the effects of different levels of attentional load on eating. These studies revealed a complex pattern of results. Analysis of findings from three studies employing within-subjects designs documented a linear relationship, in that participants consumed less food when completing a higher cognitive-load task than when completing a lower cognitive-load task. Three studies employing between-subjects designs highlighted a less consistent pattern of results, but when combined in a mini-meta-analysis, suggested the opposite linear relationship, with participants assigned to higher cognitive-load conditions generally consuming more food than participants assigned to lower cognitive-load conditions. We conducted two additional studies to reconcile these conflicting patterns of data. Neither finding received unequivocal support, although both studies found that participants ate less when engaged in higher cognitive-load tasks than lower cognitive-load tasks. The precise nature of the relationship between attentional load and eating remains elusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Volz
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Andrew Ward
- Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA, 19081, USA
| | - Traci Mann
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Bravo-Moncayo L, Reinoso-Carvalho F, Velasco C. The effects of noise control in coffee tasting experiences. Food Qual Prefer 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Kim YH, Kim GM, Son S, Song M, Park S, Chung HC, Lee SM. Changes in taste and food preferences in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a pilot study. Support Care Cancer 2019; 28:1265-1275. [DOI: 10.1007/s00520-019-04924-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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