Our society is considered obesifying because high-caloric foods are omnipresent. Yet, not everyone is overweight. A dominant view in the literature assumes that, in overweight people, the perception of high-caloric food firstly and automatically triggers their neural reward system, leading to increased food-consumption. However, empirical evidence is highly inconsistent with this thesis. This proposals central idea is that hedonic value does not always take precedence, but that it is a matter of mindset, for any person. High-caloric food perception intrinsically has a double-sided nature: These foods concurrently have a high hedonic and a low health-value. Peoples mindset (hedonic vs. health) may vary -unbeknownst to the researcher- within and across participants, as well as within and across studies, complicating interpretations of study results. My hypothesis is that a hedonic mindset activates the neural reward system -most strongly in overweight and dietary restrained people- whereas a health mindset activates the neural control and conflict resolution systems -most strongly in dietary restrained, and least strongly in overweight people. Crucially, by taking into account peoples current mindset, I expect to unravel the functioning of neural reward and control systems and, therefore, differences in bodyweight and dietary restraint. Consequently, investigating the activity of the neural reward and control systems is required. I propose to use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during visual food perception with either a health or hedonic mindset. In addition, I use multi-voxel pattern-analyses (MVPA) and Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA), which decode information content in the brain, to answer the crucial question of how food is represented in multi-voxel patterns in the brain under different mindsets. By taking into account mindset and using state-of-the-art fMRI analysis methods, this proposal opens new avenues to understanding the neural underpinnings of overweight and dietary restraint, which is indispensible for effective treatment and prevention of obesity.

During exposure therapy, people with anxiety disorders confront anxiety-provoking situations. This is often a considerable challenge and premature treatment dropout is relatively common. This project investigates whether dropout can be prevented by translating findings from memory research into exposure therapy. In particular, retrospective evaluations of affective episodes are most strongly influenced by the peak and end intensity. It is investigated whether anxiety levels at the end of a therapy session predict its global evaluation and readiness for subsequent sessions. The results may provide insight into possible adjustments to exposure procedures so that more patients succeed in completing this effective treatment.

Cheating is widespread and provides enormous costs to society. Mazar, Amir, and Ariely (2008; Experiment1) showed that reminding people to moral standards reduces cheating by 28%; i.e., recalling the 10 commandments reduced cheating as compared to recalling 10 books from high school. The paper has been cited 1124 times (Google Scholar), was covered in influential newspapers, and was included in the APS Memo to President Obama (Shahar, et al., 2015). The study was used to revise the standard economic model of cheating as a rational choice, and to build the novel self-maintenance theory. This theory holds that people want to maximize self-profit but at the same time maintain their self-concept of being an honest person. The more people can justify cheating for self-profit, the more they will engage in it. The 10 commandments study is a classical demonstration of how cheating can be reduced using moral reminders, providing important cues for policy makers. At the same time, the original authors stated that ‘the idea that any reminder can decrease dishonesty seems strange’ (p. 635). Meanwhile, the replicability of behavioral priming effects is at the heart of Psychology´s replication crisis. We therefore propose to replicate Experiment 1 of Mazar et al. (2008), a proposal that has been accepted by the Association for Psychological Science (APS) as a Registered Replication Report (RRR; Simons, et al., 2014). We will conduct a near-exact replication, following a protocol that will be approved by the original authors. We set out to recruit 20 research teams to collect data. The data will be aggregated using a meta-analytic approach. Our study will provide a robust estimate of the size of the 10 commandments effect. Policy change brings about costs. Only an accurate estimate of the effect size can inform policy makers whether the benefits will outweigh the costs.

In this project, we investigate why some children are very picky in eating while others are not. We tested 250 children at age 3 and 4. The children showed ample knowledge of vegetables and fruits. However, answering how food tastes (e.g., sweet or salt) was still too difficult for them. Knowledge of food did not appear to be related to food acceptance. We also found that tactile sensitivity was important: children who dislike slimy or rough textures when they feel them with their hands are pickier in eating. Want to know more? Visit www.groente-onderzoek.nl/en.

Climate change influences our world and health. While concerns about climate change, also known as ‘eco-anxiety’, are normal and may even contribute to eco-friendly behaviour, they also threaten mental health. This project investigates the effectiveness of a novel online positive psychology intervention to tackle adverse effects of eco-anxiety in adolescents. The Best Possible Eco Self intervention, based on envisioning a best possible future in relation to climate change, is expected to promote constructive optimism, well-being and pro-environmental behaviour. This project intends to initiate the development of positive ‘eco’ psychology interventions to enhance resilience in the face of climate change.