| dc.description.abstract | The social modeling of eating effect refers to the consistently demonstrated phenomenon
that individuals tend to match the quantity of their food intake to their eating companion.
The current study aimed to explore the mirror neuron system (MNS) as a causal
mechanism through which this effect may occur. Factors demonstrated to enhance MNS
activity were additionally explored as moderators. The current study thus aimed to
examine whether: (1) external eating moderated social modeling of eating as mediated by
MNS activity, (2) external eating was associated with attentional bias to food, and (3)
attentional bias towards food moderated the indirect modeling effect. Under the guise of
rating empathy, 93 female undergraduates at Lakehead University viewed a female video
confederate “incidentally” consume either a low or high intake of chips while
electroencephalogram (EEG) activity was recorded. Subsequent ad libitum potato chip
consumption was quantified. Neither external eating nor attentional bias towards food
moderated the hypothesized indirect social modeling of eating effect. An exploratory
first- and second-stage dual moderation model, however, revealed that frontal asymmetry
and body mass index (BMI) moderated an indirect effect. Left frontal asymmetry was
associated with greater mu activity and a positive association between model and
participant chip consumption, while right frontal asymmetry was associated with less mu
activity and a negative association. Across all levels of frontal asymmetry, the effect was
only significant among those with a BMI at the 50th percentile or lower. Thus, among
leaner individuals, the MNS mediated social modeling of eating, as moderated by frontal
asymmetry. Left frontal asymmetry enhanced MNS activity and subsequent modeling,
while right frontal asymmetry attenuated MNS activity and led to a reversal of the effect. | en_US |
