Food sensory imagery - creating a vivid mental image of the sensory experience of eating - can lead to the selection of smaller portions because it serves as a reminder that eating enjoyment does not necessarily increase with portion size. The evidence is mostly limited to adults and to energy-dense foods for which it is particularly difficult to predict the satiating effects of consumption quantity. The objective was to study how food sensory imagery influences portion size selection of foods varying in energy density (brownie and applesauce) by 7- to 11-year-old children. During after-school time, 171 children were randomized into two conditions. Children in the food sensory imagery condition were asked to imagine the taste, smell, and texture of eating palatable foods, i.e., chocolate cereal, chocolate waffle, and chocolate candies. Children in the control condition performed a similar sensory imagery task for non-food-related activities. Children were then asked to choose between the recommended serving size, a 50% larger portion, and a 125% larger portion of either brownie or applesauce. One week later, they were placed in the same condition for the other food. Compared to the control condition, food sensory imagery led children to choose 7.1% less brownie but had no effect on applesauce portion selection. Exploratory findings showed that the food sensory imagery intervention was especially effective at reducing brownie portion size selection among children who were moderately hungry, who usually eat fast, and whose parents pressure them to eat. In conclusion, food sensory imagery may be a useful intervention to nudge children towards healthier portion size choices because it reduces the selected portion size of an energy-dense snack without reducing the selected portion size of a healthier snack.

中文翻译：

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儿童份量选择：能量密度不同的零食感官意象的影响

食物感官意象——创造一个生动的进食感官体验的心理图像——可以导致选择较小的部分，因为它提醒人们，进食的乐趣不一定会随着份量的增加而增加。证据主要限于成年人和能量密集型食物，特别难以预测食用量的饱腹感。目的是研究食物感官意象如何影响 7 至 11 岁儿童对能量密度不同的食物（布朗尼和苹果酱）的份量选择。在放学后，171 名儿童被随机分为两种情况。食物感官意象条件下的儿童​​被要求想象食用可口食物（即巧克力麦片、巧克力华夫饼和巧克力糖果）的味道、气味和质地。控制条件下的儿童​​对与食物无关的活动执行了类似的感官想象任务。然后要求孩子们在推荐的份量、大 50% 的份量和大 125% 的布朗尼或苹果酱之间进行选择。一周后，他们被放置在相同的条件下吃其他食物。与对照条件相比，食物感官意象导致儿童选择的布朗尼少 7.1%，但对苹果酱部分的选择没有影响。探索性研究结果表明，食物感官意象干预在减少中等饥饿、通常吃得快、父母强迫他们吃的儿童的巧克力蛋糕份量选择方面特别有效。综上所述，