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Resisting temptation of unhealthy food: interaction between temptation-elicited goal activation and self-control

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Abstract

Counteractive control theory suggests that the cognitive accessibility of a goal in response to a temptation cue predicts self-regulation of behaviour consistent with that goal. The current study provided a novel test of this effect in the eating domain, exploring the moderating role of trait self-control. A sample of 124 women (18–25 years) completed a lexical decision task to assess cognitive accessibility of the weight-management goal after food temptation priming. Eating self-regulation was operationalised as unhealthy snack food intake measured in a task disguised as a taste-test. Participants completed trait self-control and temptation experience intensity measures. Cognitive accessibility predicted lower food intake, but only among high self-control participants. The relationship was mediated by temptation experience intensity: participants with high cognitive accessibility felt less tempted, and subsequently ate less food. Results suggest that changing the processes underlying the temptation experience, rather than the cognitive accessibility of a goal may more effectively enhance self-regulation among low self-control individuals.

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Notes

  1. Controlling for hunger did not change the statistical significance of any of the analyses in the Results section. Therefore, results of analyses without controlling for hunger are reported.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Paul Douglas for developing the software for the lexical decision task, and to Paul Williamson for statistical advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

    Ashleigh Haynes & Eva Kemps

  2. School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Australia

    Robyn Moffitt

  3. School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

    Philip Mohr

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  1. Ashleigh Haynes
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  2. Eva Kemps
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  3. Robyn Moffitt
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  4. Philip Mohr
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Correspondence to Ashleigh Haynes.

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Haynes, A., Kemps, E., Moffitt, R. et al. Resisting temptation of unhealthy food: interaction between temptation-elicited goal activation and self-control. Motiv Emot 38, 485–495 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9393-6

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