abstract: Given the continued increase in obesity rates in the United States, there has been growing research regarding factors related to obesity. Researchers have examined biological factors, such as set point theory, as well as various psychological factors such as motivation, self-efficacy, and eating styles. Taster-type, defined as how an individual experiences the perception of taste (particularly bitterness), is a recent area of research that has explored the potential relationship between this phenomenon and obesity. The current study examined whether taster-type impacted weight loss, along with secondary measures of BMI, waist circumference, and food neophobia, as well as taster-type’s impact on these measures over time. This study also examined the potential role of taster-type as a predictor of weight loss, independent of the psychological variables of motivation, self-efficacy, and eating styles. Ninety adult participants, consisting of 64 females and 19 males were recruited for this study. They were asked to diet for four weeks; 60 finished the full four weeks and completed psychosocial measures over two time periods. They were asked to record their food using an online food journal, attend weekly meetings for weigh-ins, and were given psychoeducational materials regarding factors affecting weight loss. The results indicated that taster-type was not a significant factor in BMI or waist circumference, but taster-type did interact with time to reveal that supertasters consistently lost weight across the four week dieting period while nontasters leveled off after Week 2. Additionally, both groups increased in food neophobia from the start of the dieting period to the end of Week 4. Consistent with previous research, motivation and self-efficacy predicted weight loss; however, taster-type did not increase the prediction of weight loss across the dieting period. This effect only occurred at Week 2. By Week 4, no psychosocial variables were significant predictors of weight loss. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Counseling Psychology 2016

Cata de Vino Online, es un emprendimiento que tiene como objetivo lograr un negocio que ofrezca la experiencia de una cata de vino de manera online por medio de la plataforma Zoom Premium. Para ello, hemos realizado un trabajo previo de investigación el cual nos ha permitido identificar que como consecuencia de la pandemia de la covid-19, las empresas tuvieron que adaptarse al trabajo remoto, ya que actualmente, alrededor de 250,000 personas trabajan desde su casa. Como consecuencia, las empresas buscan motivar a los colaboradores y mantener a los equipos de trabajo integrados, por ello, están invirtiendo en actividades que puedan aportar en el bienestar y generar compromiso por parte de los trabajadores. Asimismo, dada la coyuntura esta actividad permite al trabajador mantener un estado emocionalmente positivo, puesto que permite que tengan un momento de interacción con su equipo de trabajo y puedan tener un momento recreativo. Por medio de entrevistas realizadas a medianas y grandes empresas, identificamos un potencial mercado de empresas dispuestas a invertir en nuestro servicio de cata online. A partir de esto iniciamos con el planteamiento del negocio, plan de marketing y ventas, plan de operaciones justificado con el plan financiero nos permite desarrollar un negocio con el objetivo de ofrecer un servicio de cata online donde los participantes recibirán un kit de formación completo, que incluye, un vino seleccionado junto con una clase online dictada por un experto sommelier, donde el cliente podrá vivir la experiencia de ser un catador en casa. / Cata de Vino Online, is an entrepreneurship that aims to achieve a business that offers the experience of a wine tasting online through the Zoom Premium platform. To do this, we have carried out a previous research which has allowed us to identify that as a consequence of the covid-19 pandemic, companies had to adapt to remote work, since currently, around 250,000 people work from home. As a result, companies seek to motivate employees and keep work teams integrated, therefore, they are investing in hiring activities that can contribute to the well-being and commitment of workers. In addition, given the situation, this activity allows the worker to maintain an emotionally positive state, since it allows them to have a moment of interaction with their work team and to have a recreational moment. Through interviews with medium and large companies, we identified a potential market of companies willing to invest in our online tasting service. From this we start with the business approach, marketing and sales plan, an operations plan justified with the financial plan allows us to develop a business with the aim of offering an online tasting service where participants will receive a complete training kit, which includes a selected wine along with an online class taught by an expert sommelier, where the client can live the experience of being a taster at home. / Trabajo de investigación