Social modeling effects on snack intake among young men. The role of hunger.

This study examined whether young men adjusted their snack-food intake to that of a same-sex eating companion. Additionally, hunger was assessed as a possible moderating variable. A total of 59 young men (M age=21.73) participated. An interaction between participants' hunger and confederate's intake on the total amount of snack food (in grams) consumed was found. Only those males who were hungry at the start of the experiment modeled the intake of their eating companion. This finding suggests that hunger may play an important role in explaining the magnitude of social modeling among young men. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.