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abstract: Long-term results of dietary weight loss interventions are not promising, with rates of weight loss maintenance at a mere 20%. Psychological factors related to weight maintenance include setting unrealistic weight goals, poor problem-solving skills, low self-efficacy, dichotomous thinking, and external locus of control. The ability to maintain a stable bodyweight over time has been associated with optimal health outcomes, lower stress levels, and higher general well-being. Dichotomous thinking has been associated with overeating and increased bodyweight. Cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger are three dimensions of human eating behavior that appear to be important to understanding weight loss maintenance. Individuals who attempt to maintain their bodyweight via dietary restraint mechanisms are more susceptible to excessive eating episodes. Disinhibition has been found to be the strongest predictor of weight gain, while the research on the association between hunger and bodyweight is mixed. This study sought to evaluate the relationship between dichotomous thinking toward food and various eating behaviors (binge eating, cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger). A multiple regression analysis revealed that binge eating, cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger were each significant unique predictors of higher body mass index (BMI). Higher levels of hunger predicted lower BMI, controlling for cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and binge eating. Mediation analyses revealed that dichotomous thinking mediated the relationships between binge eating and BMI, cognitive restraint and BMI, and disinhibition and BMI. Further analysis revealed that binge eating mediated the relationship between dichotomous thinking and BMI, indicating that thinking of food in black-and-white could lead to higher rates of binge eating, and the excess calorie consumption could lead to increased BMI. The study findings suggest that a strong focus should be made to promote a more flexible attitude toward food in an effort to improve weight loss maintenance in the population. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2018

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<p>  </p> <p>Harshly affected by recent economic recessions, young Millennials had been having a hard time finding a job that meets their expectations or an affordable house. Although it seems like Millennials are suffering financial hardship, media often depict them as impulsive shoppers. Taking inspiration from this contradictory aspect of Millennials, this research explores the relationship between Millennials’ subjective evaluation of their financial status and their spending behaviors. In order to achieve this goal, this study first applies a new psychometric scale, called perceived financial insecurity, to measure Millennials’ feelings and thoughts toward their financial status. Second, it examines the psychological antecedents to perceived financial insecurity. Last, the relationship between financial insecurity and spending behaviors in several consumption areas is examined using the framework of compensatory behavior from social psychology.</p> <p>For the first stage of this research, a perceived financial insecurity scale was developed by conducting literature reviews, in-depth interviews with Millennial consumers, and two online surveys. Consequently, five statements were selected from the initial pool of questionnaire items and used in later stages of this research. Next, another online survey was conducted to empirically test for the impact of six antecedents, namely, perfectionism, self-efficacy, perceived economic mobility, resource scarcity, materialism, and social comparison orientation on perceived financial insecurity. Findings revealed that among the six variables, four (i.e., perfectionism, self-efficacy, perceived economic mobility, and resource scarcity) were found to be the antecedents to financial insecurity. In the final stage, the proposed financial insecurity–compensatory spending model was tested using PLS-SEM. Data used in this stage were self-reported online survey data collected via Prolific. The results showed that financial insecurity directly lessens the amount of dining-out expenditures. However, in four areas of consumption (i.e., fine dining visit frequency, performance visit frequency, short-travel frequency, and long-travel frequency), the indirect path through the increase in dichotomous thinking and impulsivity partially accounted for the relationship between financial insecurity and spending behaviors. Moreover, the relationship between financial insecurity and expenditure amount in the fine dining, short-trip and long-trip areas were fully mediated by dichotomous thinking and impulsivity.</p> <p>In summary, current research shows that a rational thought process prevails in Millennial decision-making for hospitality and tourism consumption, but an irrational thought process through dichotomous thinking and impulsivity accounts for their decision-making for some consumption behaviors. The findings of this research enhance the understanding on Millennials’ subjective evaluation of their financial status by developing a perceived financial insecurity scale and investigating the antecedents to this variable. Moreover, this dissertation offers practical insights to industry professionals by showing the decision-making mechanism behind Millennials’ spending behaviors in several consumption areas. Industry professionals could formulate more detailed marketing strategies using the findings of this dissertation. </p>