Implicit wanting in relation to explicit liking and wanting for food: Implications for appetite control

Abstract

Considering the psychological mechanisms that influence eating, we assume that both implicit and explicit processes will operate. This distinction informs the liking vs. wanting issue of food reward. The present study investigated the effect of meal-induced satiation on implicit and explicit processes of liking (L) and wanting (W) by developing a computer-based procedure to measure L and W in hungry and satiated states. Explicit measures were derived from analogue ratings whilst the implicit W measure was derived from RT in a forced-choice procedure, which also identified food preferences. Seventy subjects (21.8±0.9years, BMI: 22.2±0.5 kg/m 2 ) completed the computer-task before and immediately following consumption of a savoury test meal. Satiation caused explicit ratings of L and W to decrease in all food categories ( p <0.01); but with a more marked decrease for savoury foods compared with sweet foods ( p <0.01). Implicit W was increased for sweet categories ( p <0.01), but not for savoury. Implicit and explicit measures of L and W dependently correlated with preference for sweet foods. This study provides support that implicit and explicit processes of food reward can be simultaneously measured and dissociated using a test meal. Adjustments in hunger were linked to changes in explicit L and W in a manner consistent with sensory specific satiety, while a relationship between hunger and implicit W was absent. We suggest that implicit W is not systematically downregulated by the physiological consequences of food consumption in the same way as hunger and therefore may be largely independent of homeostatic processes influencing intake. MRC(CASE)#G78/8223 in conjunction with NRC, Lausanne.