Psychologies of Eating Behaviour

Aim

After completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Describe the breadth of perspectives and theories of eating behaviour as a research area in psychology
• Explain and discuss theoretical and methodological approaches with respect to core concepts in the field, such as food preferences, neophobia, taste/distaste, and eating disorders.
• Identify and explain how eating behaviours have relevance for subjects in various psychological areas, such as clinical, health, social, and developmental psychology.
• Reflect on the psychology of eating behaviour in a cultural and historical context with a focus on topics such as edibility, food preferences, and food choices.
• Explain how psychology could be used to tackle future challenges within food production and consumption in an international context.

Content

The course is concerned with eating behaviour as a research area within psychology, with a focus on different theoretical and methodological perspectives on eating. The subject area is situated in a broad research field and includes a consideration of the relation between theory, method, and the application of research findings. The course includes consideration of the core concepts: food preferences/food choice, neophobia, taste/distaste, social interaction, and eating disorders. The psychology of eating behaviour is considered within a cultural and historical context, as well as in relation to future challenges of food production and consumption.