The Roles of Gender and Priming on College Students Reported Food Preferences

Personal choice is a valuable factor when people choose what to eat. Previous findings have analyzed food cravings and taste preferences and found that women eat more fruit than men (Wardle et al., 2004). The focus on food preference can be investigated further by exploring the influence of gender and a food prime on food preference. The current study will explore if food preference is influenced by a prime as well as the gender of participants. Participants will be presented with a food questionnaire that contains 48 questions. At the top of the computer screen, there will either be a savory foods banner or a paint splatter (control) banner, these banners will serve as the prime. Participants will rate their liking of food items (sweet or savory) on different categories using a 5-point Likert-type scale. There will be three food sections (entree, side, and drink). Finally, participants will be presented with a demographics questionnaire. The first hypothesis is that priming savory foods will influence food preference such that there will be more savory food choices than the paint prime. The second hypothesis is that gender will influence food preference such that male students will choose more savory food whereas female participants will show a preference for sweet foods. The third and final hypothesis is that prime and gender will interact such that males in the savory prime condition will demonstrate the most preference for savory foods and females in the paint/control condition will show the least amount of preference for savory foods. A 2 (prime: savory versus paint splatter banner) x 2 (gender: male or female) ANOVA on food preference scores will be performed. This study has the potential to highlight factors that influence eating behaviors with a focus on gender. Understanding people\u27s preferences for specific foods relates to eating behaviors. Portion sizes, cravings, and individual health are all connected to the food that is preferred