Abstract A global dietary transition, associated with negative effects on health and environment and characterized by an increase of animal-based diets to the detriment of plant-based diets, has occurred in the last few decades. Many factors (biological, physiological, psychological and socio-cultural), are known to play a role in affecting food choices and should be considered in order to promote more healthier plant based-diets. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the associations among psychological and personality traits, attitudes, beliefs and taste responsiveness in affecting implicitly measured attitudes toward plant-based and animal based-dishes. These attitudes were measured through three independent Implicit Association Tests (IATs), using images of culinary preparations of plant-based, meat-based and dairy-based dishes and positive/negative emotions. 125 subjects (39 omnivores, 55 flexitarians and 31 vegetarians) participated in each IAT. Questionnaires measuring psychological and personality traits, attitudes toward foods and beliefs about food animals were employed. Moreover, taste responsiveness was measured through the bitter intensity assessment of PROP. A Partial Least Square model was then adopted to study the individual variability in the implicit attitudes toward the plant-based and animal-based dishes in relation to psychological and personality traits, general food attitudes, beliefs on food animals and taste responsiveness measures. Overall the implicit measures were found to be in line with declared eating habits, with Vegetarians and Flexitarians more inclined to implicitly associate positive emotions to meat-free dishes than Omnivores, and with Vegetarians showing a stronger association than Flexitarians. The results showed that positive attitudes toward plant-based dishes were positively related to the empathic sensitivity toward humans and animals, as well as to attitudes toward healthy and natural products, highlighting an important role of food consciousness in determining the eating habits. On the contrary, food involvement and attitude towards taste did not differ among the considered segments. Responsiveness to PROP and sensitivity to pathogen disgust were found to be lower in Vegetarians compared to Omnivores. The transition from plant-based diet to animal-based diet should therefore embrace multiple aspects, considering taste responsiveness, psychological traits and attitudes towards food.

中文翻译：

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心理特征、信念和味觉反应对素食者、弹性素食者和杂食者对植物性和动物性菜肴的内隐态度的影响

摘要 在过去的几十年里，全球饮食转变对健康和环境产生了负面影响，其特点是动物性饮食的增加对植物性饮食的损害。众所周知，许多因素（生物、生理、心理和社会文化）在影响食物选择方面发挥作用，应予以考虑，以促进更健康的植物性饮食。因此，本研究的目的是探索心理和人格特征、态度、信念和味觉反应之间的关联，这些关系会影响对植物性和动物性菜肴的内隐测量态度。这些态度是通过三个独立的内隐联想测试 (IAT) 来衡量的，使用植物性烹饪制剂的图像，以肉类和奶制品为主的菜肴和积极/消极情绪。125 名受试者（39 名杂食者、55 名弹性素食者和 31 名素食者）参加了每个 IAT。使用了测量心理和人格特征、对食物的态度和对食用动物的信念的问卷。此外，味觉反应性通过 PROP 的苦味强度评估来衡量。然后采用偏最小二乘模型来研究与心理和个性特征、一般食物态度、对食用动物的信念和味觉反应措施有关的对植物性和动物性菜肴的内隐态度的个体变异性。总体而言，隐性措施被发现符合声明的饮食习惯，素食者和弹性素食者比杂食者更倾向于将积极情绪与无肉菜肴联系起来，并且素食者比弹性素食者表现出更强的关联。结果表明，对植物性菜肴的积极态度与对人类和动物的移情敏感性以及对健康和天然产品的态度呈正相关，突出了食物意识在决定饮食习惯方面的重要作用。相反，食物的参与度和对口味的态度在所考虑的细分市场之间没有差异。与杂食动物相比，素食者对 PROP 的反应和对病原体厌恶的敏感性较低。因此，从植物性饮食到动物性饮食的过渡应该包括多个方面，考虑到味觉反应，