Gabriela M. Jiga-Boy

So Much to Do and So Little Time Effort and Perceived Temporal Distance

In a series of five experiments, we showed that the perception of temporal distance to a future event is shaped by the effort one must invest to realize the event. Studies 1a and 1b showed that when actors are faced with realizing an event by a certain deadline, more effortful events are perceived as closer in time, regardless of the objective temporal distance to the deadline. This negative relationship was reversed, however, when deadlines were absent (Study 2). Finally, priming high effort reduced perceived temporal distance to an event, whereas priming low effort increased perceived temporal distance to the event (Studies 3 and 4). The implications of these findings for models of temporal distance are discussed.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of an Internet-Based Healthy Eating Program: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The HealthValues Healthy Eating Programme is a standalone Internet-based intervention that employs a novel strategy for promoting behavior change (analyzing one’s reasons for endorsing health values) alongside other psychological principles that have been shown to influence behavior. The program consists of phases targeting motivation (dietary feedback and advice, analyzing reasons for health values, thinking about health-related desires, and concerns), volition (implementation intentions with mental contrasting), and maintenance (reviewing tasks, weekly tips). Objective The aim was to examine the effects of the program on consumption of fruit and vegetables, saturated fat, and added sugar over a 6-month period. Methods A total of 82 females and 18 males were recruited using both online and print advertisements in the local community. They were allocated to an intervention or control group using a stratified block randomization protocol. The program was designed such that participants logged onto a website every week for 24 weeks and completed health-related measures. Those allocated to the intervention group also completed the intervention tasks at these sessions. Additionally, all participants attended laboratory sessions at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. During these sessions, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ, the Block Fat/Sugar/Fruit/Vegetable Screener, adapted for the UK), and researchers (blind to group allocation) measured their body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and heart rate variability (HRV). Results Data were analyzed using a series of ANOVA models. Per protocol analysis (n=92) showed a significant interaction for fruit and vegetable consumption (P=.048); the intervention group increased their intake between baseline and 6 months (3.7 to 4.1 cups) relative to the control group (3.6 to 3.4 cups). Results also showed overall reductions in saturated fat intake (20.2 to 15.6 g, P<.001) and added sugar intake (44.6 to 33.9 g, P<.001) during this period, but there were no interactions with group. Similarly, there were overall reductions in BMI (27.7 to 27.3 kg/m2, P=.001) and WHR (0.82 to 0.81, P=.009), but no interactions with group. The intervention did not affect alcohol consumption, physical activity, smoking, or HRV. Data collected during the online sessions suggested that the changes in fruit and vegetable consumption were driven by the motivational and maintenance phases of the program. Conclusions Results suggest that the program helped individuals to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables and to sustain this over a 6-month period. The observed reduction in fat and sugar intake suggests that monitoring behaviors over time is effective, although further research is needed to confirm this conclusion. The Web-based nature of the program makes it a potentially cost-effective way of promoting healthy eating.

Smokers discount their drug of abuse in the same way as other consumable rewards

Recent research shows that drug abusers discount delayed monetary rewards more than nonabusers do, and they discount delayed substances of abuse (e.g., drugs) more than delayed money. Furthermore, non-drug-abusers discount food and substances of abuse (e.g., alcohol), more than money. Here, we compare the delay and probability discounting of money with that of a directly consumable reward (chocolate) and with that of a substance of abuse (cigarettes), in a drug-using population (smokers). In line with previous research, we found in two experiments that delay discounting differentiated between smokers and nonsmokers, and between money and a nonabused directly consumable reward (chocolate). In addition, our results show that there appears to be no difference in the extent to which smokers discount their abused substance compared to another directly consumable reward. These findings support the contention that drugs and food are part of the same category of primary reinforcers, whereas money is discounted differently, as a conditioned reinforcer.

Motivating health behaviour change: provision of cognitive support for health values

Abstract Background Research shows that social values often function as truisms—ie, these values are convictions that are widely held and strongly endorsed, but rarely questioned. Thus individuals tend to behave in accordance with the value only when they can do so fairly easily. However, value-consistent behaviour can be increased by building cognitive support for the value, which can be achieved by thinking about reasons supporting or opposing the value. We examined whether health values function as truisms and explored the effect of building cognitive support for health values on fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise. Methods In experiment 1, 150 participants (aged ≥18 years) were recruited via local advertisements, posters, and flyers, and tested in community and workplace settings. This sample was comparable to the general population in terms of age, sex, ethnicity, education level, smoking status, and BMI, and there were no significant differences between experimental and control groups in terms of these characteristics. Participants rated the importance of a range of values (including four health values), on a scale from −1 (opposed to my values) to 7 (extremely important). Participants then wrote down reasons why health values were important or unimportant to them (experimental group, n=75), or wrote reasons why they liked or disliked particular television shows (control group, n=75). Finally, all participants completed a second questionnaire assessing value importance, including the four health values. In experiment 2, 43 students (aged ≥18 years) either analysed reasons for health values (experimental group, n=22) or completed anagram and word search tasks that made the value of health salient (control group, n=21). 1 week later, they reported their diet and exercise behaviours during the previous week (number of days that they had consumed fruit and vegetables; average number of servings eaten; number of times they had participated in vigorous physical activity; and number of times they had exercised for ≥20 min). We analysed data with ANOVA and post-hoc t tests. Findings Experiment 1 showed that health values ratings changed more after the analysis of reasons than in the control group (p Interpretation This research shows that health values function as truisms. As with other values, people do not think to question the importance of health. That this effect was true for a range of different social groupings suggests that health reasons analysis could be a helpful strategy for most people. Consistent with this hypothesis, experiment 2 showed that thinking about reasons for health values resulted in participants reporting higher amounts of exercise 1 week later. That they also reported lower amounts of food consumption could be an indication of increased dieting. Further research with physiological and observational measures, and more detailed dietary questionnaires, should help to confirm both this interpretation and the usefulness of this technique in motivation of health behaviour change. Funding The research was funded by an UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant “Lifestyle change: values and volition” awarded to KT, GRM, GH, and ML, and by an ESRC grant “Explicit and implicit bases of social values: implications for behaviour change” awarded to GRM and GH.

Development and assessment of the HealthValues Healthy Eating Programme: an exploratory study

Abstract Background The HealthValues Healthy Eating Programme was developed on the basis of psychological principles that influence behaviour—established techniques targeting motivation, volition, and maintenance as well as a novel strategy in which individuals are asked to spend time thinking about reasons for health values. In this exploratory study, we examined the effects of the programme on intake of (1) fruit and vegetables, (2) saturated fat, and (3) added sugar during 6 months. Methods Participants were 82 women and 18 men (mean body-mass index [BMI] 27·68 [SD 5·73], mean age 39 years [SD 14], 23 participants dieting to lose weight) who expressed an interest in eating a healthier diet in response to advertisements in Cardiff. Participants were allocated to an intervention or control group with a stratified block randomisation protocol on the basis of dieting status (dieting vs non-dieting) and fruit and vegetable consumption (five or more a day vs fewer than five a day; appendix). Participants were not masked to group allocation but were informed that both groups would monitor eating behaviours and that this procedure had been shown to be useful for reaching health goals. All participants logged onto a website every week for 24 weeks and completed health-related measures and measures assessing potential moderators and mediators. Those in the intervention group also completed the intervention tasks at these sessions. Additionally, all participants attended laboratory sessions at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, at which they completed a food frequency questionnaire (the block fat/sugar/fruit/vegetable screener, adapted for the UK), and measures of BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were taken by researchers who were masked to group allocation. Outliers greater than 3·5 SDs from the mean were excluded to ensure that the assumptions of the ANOVA tests were met. Participants received £150 for completing all online sessions and laboratory assessments. Findings 91 participants completed 12 or more online sessions. Data for these participants were analysed with a series of ANOVA models. These analyses showed a significant interaction for fruit and vegetables ( F [1, 89] 4·47; p=0·037) with intervention participants increasing their mean daily intake between baseline and 6 months (3·72 cups [95% CI 3·25–4·19] to 4·17 cups [3·71–4·63], respectively) and controls decreasing their intake (3·59 cups [3·14–4·04] to 3·36 cups [2·92–3·81], respectively). Results also showed overall reductions in saturated fat (two outliers excluded; F [1, 87] 28·09; p F [1, 83] 15·81; p F [1, 88] 10·86; p F [1, 89] 7·17; p=0·009; WHR change 0·82 [0·80–0·84] to 0·81 [0·79–0·82]), but no interactions with group. Including the outliers in the analyses had no effect on whether or not the results were significant. Interpretation The results show that the programme helped individuals increase their fruit and vegetable intake and sustain this increase over 6 months. Levels of attrition, and replication of present results, in the absence of remuneration, need to be established. Nevertheless, the online nature of the programme makes it a potentially cost-effective way of promoting healthy eating. Funding Economic and Social Research Council.