Aner Tal

Blinded with science: Trivial graphs and formulas increase ad persuasiveness and belief in product efficacy

The appearance of being scientific can increase persuasiveness. Even trivial cues can create such an appearance of a scientific basis. In our studies, including simple elements, such as graphs (Studies 1–2) or a chemical formula (Study 3), increased belief in a medication’s efficacy. This appears to be due to the association of such elements with science, rather than increased comprehensibility, use of visuals, or recall. Belief in science moderates the persuasive effect of graphs, such that people who have a greater belief in science are more affected by the presence of graphs (Study 2). Overall, the studies contribute to past research by demonstrating that even trivial elements can increase public persuasion despite their not truly indicating scientific expertise or objective support.

Watch What You Eat: Action-Related Television Content Increases Food Intake

ing test does not benefit a patient under all circumstances; instead, proponents must show under what conditions it can work. If a patient is young (<60 years) and has few comorbidities; if a patient has extensive family history of prostate cancer; if a patient is African American—could a PSA test be leveraged in these populations? These are hypotheses to be tested in prospective studies, not justifications for immediate action. Second, many clinicians continue to believe that the best course is to have a conversation with patients about PSA screening. Many guidelines, such as the recent American College of Cardiology cholesterol guidelines, do not advocate for an intervention outright but ask physicians to have a conversation with patients. It is hard to argue that we should not have more conversations, but the practical implications of this strategy are likely no different than outright endorsement.7 As such, it is time to move away from the PSA testing conversation. Clinicians must simply not offer the test unless prompted, and counsel our patients against undergoing it if they raise the issue. We continue to screen for prostate cancer at too high a rate. This trend cannot and should not continue.

First Foods Most: After 18-Hour Fast, People Drawn to Starches First and Vegetables Last

Background: Short-term food deprivation of 18-24 hours is fairly common. It can be medically imposed before blood draws or surgery, or it can be self-imposed in the case of serious dieting, religious fasts, and chaotic work schedules. While assumed that fasting biases brain reward systems towards high-calorie foods, animal studies have only examined calorie levels and not food types. When a food-deprived person finally eats, what macronutrients or general types of foods do they eat first and most? The answer has implications for the precautions that patients, fasters, medical interns, and dieters should take when first serving and eating food after a short period of food deprivation. Objective: How does short-term fasting or food deprivation bias what foods (starches, vegetables, and protein) a person eats and how much they eat of them?

Eyes in the Aisles: Why Is Cap’N Crunch Looking Down at My Child?

To what extent do cereal spokes-characters make eye contact with children versus adults, and does their eye contact influence choice? In study 1, the shelf placement and eye positioning of 86 cereal spokes-characters were evaluated in 10 grocery stores in the Eastern United States. We calculated the average height of cereal boxes on the shelf for adult- versus children-oriented cereals (48 in. vs. 23 in.) and the inflection angle of spokes-characters’ gaze (0.4° vs. −9.6°). We found that cereal characters on child- (adult-) oriented cereals make incidental eye contact at children’s (adults’) eye level. In Study 2, we showed that eye contact with cereal spokes-characters increased feelings of trust and connection to the brand, as well as choice of the brand over competitors. Currently, many of the cereals targeted toward children are of the heavily sugared, less healthy variety. One potential application of this finding would be to use eye contact with spokes-characters to promote healthy choices and healthier food consumption.

Turning Virtual Reality into Reality: A Checklist to Ensure Virtual Reality Studies of Eating Behavior and Physical Activity Parallel the Real World

Virtual reality (VR) provides a potentially powerful tool for researchers seeking to investigate eating and physical activity. Some unique conditions are necessary to ensure that the psychological processes that influence real eating behavior also influence behavior in VR environments. Accounting for these conditions is critical if VR-assisted research is to accurately reflect real-world situations. The current work discusses key considerations VR researchers must take into account to ensure similar psychological functioning in virtual and actual reality and does so by focusing on the process of spontaneous mental simulation. Spontaneous mental simulation is prevalent under real-world conditions but may be absent under VR conditions, potentially leading to differences in judgment and behavior between virtual and actual reality. For simulation to occur, the virtual environment must be perceived as being available for action. A useful chart is supplied as a reference to help researchers to investigate eating and physical activity more effectively.

Can political cookies leave a bad taste in one’s mouth?: Political ideology influences taste

Purpose This study aims to examine whether companies’ donations to political parties can impact product experience, specifically taste. Design/methodology/approach Research design consists of four studies; three online, one in person. Participants were shown a cookie (Studies 1-3) or cereal (Study 4) and told that the producing company donated to either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party (Studies 1-3) or an unspecified party (Study 4). Findings Participants rated food products as less tasty if told they came from a company that donated to a party they object to. These effects were shown to be mediated by moral disgust (Study 3). Effects were restricted to taste and willingness to buy (Study 4), with no effects on other positive product dimensions. Research limitations/implications The studies provide a first piece of evidence that political donations by companies can negatively impact product experience. This can translate to purchase decisions through an emotional, rather than calculated, route. Practical implications Companies should be careful about making donations some of their consumers may find objectionable. This might impact both purchase and consumption decisions, as well as post-consumption word-of-mouth. Originality/value Companies’ political involvement can negatively impact subjective product experience, even though such information has no bearing on product quality. The current findings demonstrate that alterations in subjective product quality may underlie alterations in consumer decision-making because of ideologically tinged information, and reveals moral disgust as the mechanism underlying these effects. In this, it provides a first demonstration that even mild ideological information that is not globally bad or inherently immoral can generate moral disgust, and that such effects depend on consumers’ own attitudes.

Rigor Mortis: Statistical thoroughness in reporting and the making of truth

Should a uniform checklist be adopted for methodological and statistical reporting? The current article discusses this notion, with particular attention to the use of old versus new statistics, and a consideration of the arguments brought up by Von Roten. The article argues that an overly exhaustive checklist that is uniformly applied to all submitted papers may be unsuitable for multidisciplinary work, and would further result in undue clutter and potentially distract reviewers from pertinent considerations in their evaluation of research articles.