Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T01:09:35.649Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects of Thought Suppression on Subliminally and Supraliminally Presented Food-related Stimuli

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Peter J.N. Dejonckheere ,
Caroline Braet  and
Barbara Soetens
Peter J.N. Dejonckheere*
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Belgium
Caroline Braet
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Belgium
Barbara Soetens
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Belgium
*
Address for correspondence: Peter Dejonckheere, Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This study investigates whether hyperaccessibility occurs for supraliminally or subliminally presented sweets-related stimuli after prior suppression of thoughts about sweets. Thirty-three students (all female; 18—25 years old) participated in the experiment. In the first phase, half of the experimental group was instructed to suppress all sweets-related thoughts. The other participants were given control instructions. In the second phase, as part of a modified Stroop task, participants were asked to state the colour of a stimulus as quickly as possible. This stimulus could be presented either subliminally or supraliminally. In both conditions, neutral control words as well as sweets words were used. It was found that the participants in the suppression group, compared to those in the control group, showed attentional bias for the sweet-related suppressed thoughts, but that this effect was determined by the reaction times of subliminally presented sweets words. No differences were found for the control words. In addition, the study explored whether there was a relationship between thought suppression and dietary restraint attitudes. The link to dietary behaviour, however, remains unclear.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , 01 December 2003 , pp. 223 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baayen, R.H., Piepenbrock, R., & van Rijn, H. (1993). The CELEX lexical database [CD-ROM]. Philadelphia, PA: Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvani.Google Scholar
Boon, B., Stroebe, W., Schut, H., & Ijntema, R. (2002). Ironic processes in the eating behaviour of restrained eaters. British Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fairburn, C.G. & Cooper, Z. (1993). The eating disorder examination (12th ed.). In C.G., Fairburn & G.T., Wilson (Eds.), Binge eating: Nature, assessment and treatment (pp. 317–360). New York: Guilford Pres.Google Scholar
Faunce, G.J. (2002). Eating disorders and attentional bias: A review. Eating Disorders, 10, 125–139. Google Scholar
Harnden, J.L., McNally, R.J., & Jimerson, D.C. (1997) Effects of suppressing thoughts about body weight: A comparison of dieters and nondieters. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 22, (3), 285–290.Google Scholar
Herman, C.P., & Polivy, J. (1975). Anxiety, restraint and eating behaviour. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84, 666–672.Google Scholar
Jansen, A., Huygens, K., & Tenney, N. (1998). No evidence for a selective processing of subliminally presented body words in restrained eaters. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 24, (4), 435–438.Google Scholar
MacLoad, C., Mathews, A., & Tata, P. (1986). Attentional bias in emotional disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 15–20.Google Scholar
Mogg, K., & Marden, B. (1990). Processing of emotional information in anxious subjects. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 29, 227–229.Google Scholar
Oliver, K.G., & Huon, G.F. (2001). Eating-related thought suppression in high and low disinhibitors. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 30, 329–337.Google Scholar
Pennebaker, J.W. (1997). Opening up: The healing power of expressing emotions. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Polivy, J. & Herman, P. (1985). Dieting and binging. American Psychologist, 40, (2), 193–201.Google Scholar
Sacco, W.P., & Beck, A.T. (1995). Cognitive theory and therapy. In E.E., Beckham & W.R., Leber (Eds.), Handbook of depression (pp. 329–51). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Sackville, T., Schotte, D.E., Touyz, S.W., Griffiths, R., & Beumont, P.J.V. (1998). Conscious and preconscious processing of food, body weight and shape, and emotion related words in women with Anorexia Nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 77–82.3.0.CO;2-Z>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Strien, T., Frijters, J., Bergers, G. & Defares, P. (1986). Nederlandse Vragenlijst voor Eetgedrag [Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire]. Liss: Swets & Zeitlinge.Google Scholar
Ward, T., Bulik, C.M., & Johnston, L. (1996). Return of the suppressed: Mental control and bulimia nervosa. Behaviour Change, 13, 79–90.Google Scholar
Wenzlaff, E.M., & Wegner, D.M. (2000). Thought suppression. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 59–91.Google Scholar
Wegner, D.M. (1989). Try not to think of a white bear. Psychology Today 23(6), 64–66.Google Scholar
Wegner, D.M. (1992). You can't always think what you want: Problems in the suppression of unwanted thoughts. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 193–225.Google Scholar