Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Appetite. 2012 Jun;58(3):864-72. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.02.003. Epub 2012 Feb 10.
This experimental study investigated whether children's food intake is influenced by a peer's intake directly and over time and whether this depends upon weight status. The study consisted of two sessions taking place at Dutch primary schools. During the first (social modeling) session, the participants (N=223) were asked to solve a puzzle with a same-sex normal weight confederate who was instructed to either eat nothing, a small or large amount. In the second session (about two days later), the participants had to solve the puzzle alone while they could freely eat. The study involved a three (no, low, high confederate intake) by two (normal weight, overweight) between-participants design. An interaction effect in the first session suggested that overweight children might be triggered to (over)eat when a peer eats a high amount of snack food, whereas the food intake of normal weight children seemed to depend on whether the confederate did actually eat, regardless of the amount. The guideline set during the first session persisted over time and influenced food intake during the second session, while differences between normal- and overweight children became insignificant. Peers can set an example as to what food intake is appropriate which could affect long-term food intake.
本实验研究旨在探究同伴的即时和长期摄食量是否会影响儿童的食物摄入量，以及这种影响是否取决于体重状况。研究在荷兰小学进行了两个阶段。在第一阶段（社会模仿阶段），参与者（N=223）被要求与同性别、正常体重的同伴一起解决一个谜题，而该同伴则被指示不吃、吃少量或大量食物。在第二阶段（大约两天后），参与者在独自解决谜题的同时可以自由进食。该研究采用了三（无、低、高同伴摄入量）×二（正常体重、超重）的被试间设计。第一阶段的交互作用表明，当同伴吃大量零食时，超重儿童可能会被触发（过度）进食，而正常体重儿童的食物摄入量似乎取决于同伴是否真的在进食，而不考虑摄入量。第一阶段设定的准则随着时间的推移而持续，并影响第二阶段的食物摄入量，而正常体重和超重儿童之间的差异变得不显著。同伴可以树立适当的食物摄入量榜样，这可能会影响长期的食物摄入量。
