The Moderating Role of Regulatory Focus on the Social Modeling of Food Intake

Previous research on the social modeling of food intake has shown that individuals’ food consumption is strongly influenced by the food consumption of their eating companions, that is, individuals usually eat more when others eat more, and they eat less when others eat less (e.g., Herman, Roth, & Polivy, 2003; Herman & Polivy, 2005). In illustrating the basis for social modeling effects on food intake, Herman et al. (2003, p. 874) argue that “a significant concern for most people is to avoid eating excessively” and that “the intake of one’s eating companions, then, serves to establish a guideline indicating how much one may eat without eating excessively”. A hypothesis that directly follows from this reasoning is that individuals should be more likely to follow social models in food intake when they are motivated to show socially appropriate behavior, follow social rules, and avoid inappropriate behavior than when they are less motivated to do so. Although this conclusion is reasonable, to our knowledge, research on this particular question has so far been missing. In the present research, we address this gap and examine the moderating role of motivational orientations on the social modeling of food intake. Based on regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997, 1998, 2012), we assumed that individuals in a prevention focus, who regulate their behavior according to their responsibilities and duties and are driven by a fundamental desire to avoid inappropriate behavior, are more likely to show social modeling effects in food intake, compared to individuals in a promotion focus, who tend to regulate their behavior according to their ideals, aspirations, and accomplishments and are thus more likely to rely on their internal responses when determining their level of food consumption (Florack, Friese, & Scarabis, 2010; Pham & Avnet, 2004; 2009).