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Suppressing thoughts about chocolate
Author(s) -
Johnston Lucy,
Bulik Cynthia M.,
Anstiss Vivienne
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199907)26:1<21::aid-eat3>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - psychology , task (project management) , thought suppression , control (management) , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , social psychology , cognition , neuroscience , management , economics
Objective Thought suppression frequently results in subsequent hyperaccessibility of the suppressed thoughts. This study investigated whether this effect transfers to behavior. Does suppressing thoughts result in a subsequent increase in the performance of behaviors related to those thoughts? Method Twenty chocolate cravers and 22 noncravers were instructed to suppress chocolate‐related thoughts in an articulated thoughts task or they were given no specific instructions. Participants then completed a computer‐based task which yielded chocolate rewards. Results Both cravers and noncravers could suppress chocolate‐related thoughts when instructed to do so. Both groups of participants showed greater performance, and hence earned more chocolate, in the suppression than control condition (p < .05). Discussion Behavioral control may follow many of the same ironic pathways traced by mental control. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 26: 21–27, 1999.