Effects of Priming on Instrumental Behaviors

Current research shows social influences on weight gain. We explore a process underlying this phenomenon by examining the effect that social stereotype activation has on instrumental behaviors (e.g., behaviors that are causally linked to stereotyped group membership). This investigation offers an interesting contribution to the literature on social stereotype priming by proposing that social stereotypes may affect the motivational factors associated with consumers' underlying goals. In four studies we show that exposure to overweight others can increase food consumption relative to exposures to healthy weight others; importantly, we demonstrate that this effect can be moderated by goal and instrumentality salience.