Snack intake is reduced using an implicit, high-level construal cue.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 27505217 · doi:10.1037/hea0000322
What was done
A student and community sample of 176 adults across a range of ages and BMIs was randomly assigned to either a high-level or low-level construal priming condition embedded with a novel visual symbol. Participants then completed an ad libitum taste test of energy-dense snacks with the symbol either present or absent as a cue reminder.
What was found
The high-construal prime produced significantly more abstract responses than the low-construal prime (p < .0001). High-construal priming significantly decreased snack consumption when the visual cue reminder was present (p = .02), but had no significant effect on consumption when the cue was absent (p = .40). Absolute intake amounts (such as grams or calories consumed) were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This suggests that environmental visual reminders can help maintain the self-control benefits of high-level cognitive priming to reduce immediate snacking on energy-dense foods.
Limits
The study tested acute consumption in a controlled laboratory taste-test setting, which may not translate to sustained free-living eating behavior. The abstract omits effect sizes, specific intake amounts, and macronutrient breakdowns, and long-term durability of the visual cue effect was not evaluated.