Cognitive and Psychobiological Perspectives on Adult Restrictive Eating: Sensory Processing, Disgust and Food Neophobia

Selective and restrictive eating is commonly studied in childhood, yet a substantial number of adults continue to consume a narrow range of foods and show a strong reluctance to try unfamiliar ones. Food neophobia and adult selective eating sit on a continuum that extends to clinically significant presentations such as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, but unlike most disordered eating, these behaviours are typically not driven by weight or shape concerns. They appear instead to reflect underlying differences in how food is perceived, evaluated and remembered.This Research Topic takes a cognitive and psychobiological perspective on adult restrictive eating. We are interested in the sensory and cognitive mechanisms that shape what adults are willing to eat: olfactory and gustatory sensitivity, multisensory integration, disgust processing, expectation and prior learning, attentional and memory biases toward food, and individual differences in personality and affect. We are equally interested in the social and cultural dimension, given that shared meals, from family dinners to cultural celebrations, are a central form of social connection, and that avoiding them carries real consequences for wellbeing.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Brief Research Reports, Hypothesis and Theory, and Perspective articles using primarily adult samples. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches are equally welcome. Contributions may address, but are not limited to:-Sensory and perceptual mechanisms of restrictive eating, including smell, taste and multisensory processing-Disgust sensitivity, contamination concerns and affective responses to food-Cognitive processes in food acceptance and rejection, including learning, expectation, memory and attention-Individual differences in food neophobia and selective eating across adulthood-Social, cultural and environmental influences on adult dietary restriction-Methodological and measurement advances in assessing adult restrictive eating Topic editors: Lorenzo D Stafford, Richard Stevenson Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85620/cognitive-and-psychobiological-perspectives-on-adult-restrictive-eating-sensory-processing-disgust-and-food-neophobia