Preoccupation with the Food

What it measures

The scale assesses how preoccupied a person feels with a food item, capturing persistent thoughts about eating that can arise around tempting foods.

Response format

9-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 9=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I’m still thinking about the _____ I ate.
• I'm wondering when I'll be able to eat the remaining _____.
• I'm looking forward to eating the remaining _____.
• I'm wondering where I could buy _____.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Source not stated by Rodas and John (2021), who appear to have created the scale themselves; used across four studies involving cookies and chocolate as the target foods. Reliability was very consistent (α = .88–.90). Validity wasn't separately assessed.

Citation

Rodas, M.A., & John, D.R. (2020). The Secrecy Effect: Secret Consumption Increases Women’s Product Evaluations and Choice. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(6), 1093–1109.

Keywords