Extending the Acquired Preparedness model of binge eating: Testing the indirect effects of high-risk personality traits on binge eating via positive and negative reinforcement expectancies

Abstract

According to the Acquired Preparedness (AP) model of binge eating, individuals high in negative urgency are more likely to develop the expectancy that eating alleviates negative affect, which in turn increases the likelihood of binge eating. Although both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have provided strong support for the negative urgency version of the AP model, there are likely other personality traits and expectancies that may transact to increase risk for binge eating. We extended the AP model to examine how other high-risk personality traits related to reward and impulsivity might lead to binge eating via learned expectancies about eating. In a large sample of male and female college students (N = 998; 54.6% female), we tested the indirect effects of reward responsiveness, fun seeking, and sensation seeking on binge eating via expectancies related to positive and negative reinforcement from eating. Our results suggested an indirect effect of reward responsiveness on binge eating via the expectancy that eating is rewarding and an indirect effect of fun seeking on binge eating via the expectancies that eating is rewarding and eating alleviates boredom. In contrast, sensation seeking had neither direct nor indirect effects on binge eating. Findings suggest that there are multiple pathways from personality to binge eating that depend on differential learning experiences and should be considered in terms of prevention and treatment efforts.