Abstract

SMITH, Marcia Baroni Nader Costa  and  MENANDRO, Paulo Rogério Meira. Personal and contextual aspects that influence chocolate consumption. Psicol. pesq. [online]. 2015, vol.9, n.1, pp. 20-30. ISSN 1982-1247.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5327/Z1982-1247201500010004.

This paper aimed to discover and analyze the factors that may influence the consumption of chocolate among a group of people and the way these people justify or explain their consumption pattern and interest for this product. A survey was carried out with a group of 313 men and women, most of those (63.3%) aged 15 to 25. There was special interest in the discussion of differences found when the consumption pattern of men and women are compared. It became clear, in the group analyzed, that many aspects of chocolate consumption are not processed in the same way by individuals of different genders. The representation of chocolate revealed by participants, after performing an evocation task, shows impressive similarity, with few divergent aspects. The data demonstrates that, especially for women, food selection is more influenced by cultural and factual factors related to changes in mood states, which may contribute to the discussion of eating behavior in its various facets.

Keywords : chocolate; eating behavior; food selection; gender differences; social representation.

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