CBC Psychology of Obesity 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient reports eating large quantities of food late at night while feeling unable to stop, followed by intense guilt, but never uses compensatory behaviors like purging. Which condition does this pattern most suggest?
- Binge eating disorder (Correct answer)
- Bulimia nervosa
- Night eating syndrome
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
Correct answer: Binge eating disorder
Recurrent binges with loss of control and distress, without compensatory behaviors, define binge eating disorder.
Question 2: According to the transtheoretical model, a patient who says 'I know my weight is a problem, and I'm thinking about making changes in the next few months' is in which stage of change?
- Contemplation (Correct answer)
- Precontemplation
- Preparation
- Action
Correct answer: Contemplation
Contemplation is marked by awareness of the problem and intention to change within about six months, without concrete steps yet.
Question 3: Which psychological mechanism best explains why chronic stress often leads to increased intake of high-fat, high-sugar foods?
- Cortisol-driven reward-seeking that makes palatable foods temporarily dampen the stress response (Correct answer)
- Stress permanently damages satiety receptors in the stomach
- Stress increases the metabolic need for glucose in muscles
- Stress eliminates taste sensitivity to bland foods
Correct answer: Cortisol-driven reward-seeking that makes palatable foods temporarily dampen the stress response
Elevated cortisol enhances the reward value of palatable 'comfort' foods, which transiently blunt the stress response and reinforce emotional eating.
Question 4: A bariatric counselor notices a patient consistently describes herself as 'disgusting' and avoids mirrors and social events. These features are most characteristic of which construct?
- Body image disturbance (Correct answer)
- Somatic symptom disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Illness anxiety disorder
Correct answer: Body image disturbance
Negative self-evaluation of appearance with avoidance behaviors reflects body image disturbance, common in patients with obesity.
Question 5: Which statement best describes the relationship between depression and obesity supported by longitudinal research?
- The relationship is bidirectional, with each condition increasing the risk of the other (Correct answer)
- Depression only occurs after obesity develops
- Obesity protects against developing depression
- The two conditions are statistically unrelated
Correct answer: The relationship is bidirectional, with each condition increasing the risk of the other
Meta-analyses show a reciprocal relationship: obesity raises depression risk and depression raises obesity risk.
Question 6: In classical conditioning terms, a patient who feels strong cravings whenever she sits on her living-room couch, where she habitually snacks, is experiencing what phenomenon?
- Cue-induced (conditioned) craving triggered by an environmental stimulus (Correct answer)
- Negative reinforcement of hunger hormones
- Operant extinction of eating behavior
- Habituation to food stimuli
Correct answer: Cue-induced (conditioned) craving triggered by an environmental stimulus
The couch has become a conditioned stimulus that elicits craving through repeated pairing with eating.
Question 7: Which cognitive distortion is a patient displaying when she says, 'I ate one cookie, so my whole diet is ruined and I might as well binge'?
- All-or-nothing (dichotomous) thinking (Correct answer)
- Personalization
- Mind reading
- Emotional reasoning
Correct answer: All-or-nothing (dichotomous) thinking
Viewing a minor lapse as total failure is classic all-or-nothing thinking, a driver of the abstinence violation effect.
CBC Psychology of Obesity 2
A patient reports eating large quantities of food late at night while feeling unable to stop, followed by intense guilt, but never uses compensatory behaviors like purging.
Which condition does this pattern most suggest?