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Many factors contribute to how much we eat. One such factor is the variety of different foods available. The current article reviews the variety literature with a specific focus on the factors that moderate the effects of variety on food intake and that moderate the processes that may underlie the variety effect (i.e., sensory-specific satiety and monotony). The moderators have been categorized as being of either an internal nature or an external nature. The literature suggests that internal moderators, including characteristics such as gender, weight, and dietary restraint, do not act as moderators of the variety effect. One possible exception to the absence of internal moderators is old age. Alternatively, external moderators, such as particular properties of food and the eater's perception of the situation, appear to affect the strength of the variety effect on intake to some degree. An evolutionary hypothesis may account for the distinct roles that internal and external variables play in moderating the variety effect. (Contains 3 tables.)

Three experiments examined changes in liking and memory for music as a function of number of previous exposures, the ecological validity of the music, and whether the exposure phase required focused or incidental listening. After incidental listening, liking ratings were higher for music heard more often in the exposure phase and this association was stronger as ecological validity increased. After focused listening, liking ratings followed an inverted U-shaped function of exposure for the most ecologically valid stimuli (initial increases followed by decreases), but this curvilinear function was attenuated or nonexistent for less valid stimuli. In general, recognition improved as a function of previous exposure for focused listeners, but the effect was attenuated or absent for incidental listeners.

Many factors contribute to how much we eat. One such factor is the variety of different foods available. The current article reviews the variety literature with a specific focus on the factors that moderate the effects of variety on food intake and that moderate the processes that may underlie the variety effect (i.e., sensory-specific satiety and monotony). The moderators have been categorized as being of either an internal nature or an external nature. The literature suggests that internal moderators, including characteristics such as gender, weight, and dietary restraint, do not act as moderators of the variety effect. One possible exception to the absence of internal moderators is old age. Alternatively, external moderators, such as particular properties of food and the eater's perception of the situation, appear to affect the strength of the variety effect on intake to some degree. An evolutionary hypothesis may account for the distinct roles that internal and external variables play in moderating the variety effect. Keywords: variety, food intake, obesity, monotony, sensory-specific satiety

We assume that people, to convey positive impressions of themselves, use the amounts eaten by others as limits beyond which their eating may be deemed excessive. One should, therefore, prefer eating partners who eat a lot because others' large intake renders one's own eating nonexcessive. Two studies were conducted to test this hypothesis. As predicted, participants liked confederates who ate more than they did better than those who ate less than they did, and they also rated their own intake as more appropriate when it had been exceeded by confederates than they did when it had been undercut by confederates. Noneating observers, instead, did not display a preference for eaters who ate more. Both noneating observers and active participants, however, rated eaters who ate less more positively than eaters who ate more on self-control--related items. We conclude that the nature of the behavior-impression association depends critically on the perspective of the rater. Keywords: self-presentation; social norms; consumption stereotypes; social comparisons

Three experiments examined changes in liking and memory for music as a function of number of previous exposures, the ecological validity of the music, and whether the exposure phase required focused or incidental listening. After incidental listening, liking ratings were higher for music heard more often in the exposure phase and this association was stronger as ecological validity increased. After focused listening, liking ratings followed an inverted U-shaped function of exposure for the most ecologically valid stimuli (initial increases followed by decreases), but this curvilinear function was attenuated or nonexistent for less valid stimuli. In general, recognition improved as a function of previous exposure for focused listeners, but the effect was attenuated or absent for incidental listeners.

In Study 1, participants watched one of four videotapes of a target person who was eating; two independent variables were manipulated. The first involved the presence/absence of various behaviors associated with meals (e.g., using utensils, sitting to eat). The second varied the amount of food eaten. After viewing their assigned videotapes, participants provided an open-ended description of what was happening in the videotape and rated the likelihood of the target engaging in a number of behaviors within several time frames. Results showed that when the target person engaged in behaviors usually associated with meals, she was more likely to be spontaneously described as eating a meal and was rated as less likely to eat/feel hungry in the next 2 hours than when meal-associated behaviors were absent. Amount consumed had no effect on the dependent variables. Studies 2 and 3 successfully ruled out some alternative explanations for the Study 1 results.

Women who are concerned about their weight accept the unrealistically high standards established by other people more readily and are perfectionistswhen compared to women who are not concerned about their weight. A self-defined goal condition study reveals that high Eating Attitude Test (EAT) subjects set lower personal goals than low EAT's when external standards were not set revealing they are not self-oriented perfectionists.

Children aged eight to ten years old were given $4 to shop in an experimental store, which contained attractive merchandise for half of the subjects and unattractive merchandise for the other half. Half of the children also were given the money as compensation for work, while the remainder received it as a present. It was observed that children who received the money as a present seem to be better consumers who stayed away from 'junk' goods, while those who got it for doing a household chore seem to be vulnerable to buying 'junky' things.

Age, gender, and gender role differences on a set of variables including concern with eating, body weight, and physical appearance, global self-esteem, and appearance self-esteem were examined in a sample of subjects consisting of 639 visitors to a participatory science museum. Their ages ranged from 10 to 79 years. Results showed that females are more concerned than males about eating, body weight, and physical appearance and have lower appearance self-esteem. More important, these gender differences are generally apparent at all ages. The importance of gender differences across the life span in appearance concern and appearance self-esteem is discussed.