Overview

The module content will be updated annually to keep up with interesting research trends. The examples of lecture topics that the module might cover include development of taste preferences and determinants of food choices in childhood and adulthood; mechanisms of food reward; obesity and connected alterations in hedonic and physiological responses; pharmacological treatment and mechanisms; evidence-based interventions; and psychopathology and eating disorders. Workshops will present opportunities for discussion and guided scholarship development.

Learning Outcomes

• Communicate recent research, considering its theoretical underpinnings, social context, and methodological issues, in a variety of ways appropriate for specialist or lay audiences.

• Consider eating in its wider societal and cultural context; examine the origins and impact of some of the eating issues and disorders; and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions designed to alleviate these problems.

• Examine a variety of research methods used to investigate eating behaviour in humans in the context of their relevant theoretical perspectives, and evaluate their strengths and limitations.

• Understand the major concepts and theoretical approaches to the study of eating behaviours, including biological, cognitive, and developmental perspectives.

• Working independently, synthesise the literature to identify recent findings and methods used to investigate specific topics, and to consider their strengths and shortcomings.