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Dissertation
The power of food scale (PFS): development and psychometric evaluation of a self-report measure of the perceived influence of food
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2003
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-205
Abstract
Current thinking about overeating and preoccupation with food is dominatedby restraint theory (Herman & Polivy, 1980). It is plausible however, that a preexisting vulnerability toward over-responsiveness to food produces overeating in a food abundant environment and a subsequent need to diet. A predisposition toward being highly responsive to a food plentiful environment may be detectable even in the absence of actual food consumption. The 21-item Power of Food Scale (PFS) was developed to assess the psychological influence of the mere presence or availability of food. The current study: 1) evaluated the validity of the PFS; and 2) compared the relative ability of the PFS and the Restraint Scale (RS) to predict salivary response to olfactory food cues using a sample of 81 undergraduate women. Results indicated that the PFS had acceptable internally consistency and was sufficiently homogeneous. Findings supported the convergent validity of the PFS, as it is positively correlated with measures of disinhibitition, external eating, and binge eating. Contrary to expectations the PFS was not correlated with a self-report measure of dietary restraint. Furthermore, the PFS was only weakly associated with a measure of social desirability, indicating that scores on the PFS are not likely to be contaminated by a desire to respond in a socially desirable manner. Methodological problems undermined the usefulness of the salivary responsiveness procedure as a measure of appetitive drive. Contrary to predictions, neither the PFS nor the RS predicted salivary responsiveness to food cues. Current dieting status could not account for the failure to find a relationship between RS and salivation. The PFS and the RS independently contributed to the prediction of both disinhibitory and binge eating. These results suggest that the PFS may tap a preexisting tendency toward heightened appetitive responses to food that couldcontribute to the development of obesity and some forms of disordered eating.
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Details
- Title
- The power of food scale (PFS)
- Creators
- Elizabeth Rose Didie - DU
- Contributors
- Michael R. Lowe (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 205; 991014632540204721