Psychology
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Abstract
In this study the autonomous factor is the type of environment in the restaurant. The dependent variables are the amount of food consumed and the time spent in the restaurant. The dependent variables show the changes that occur depending on the independent variable that is selected. As such, comparisons of the two scenarios can be done simultaneously. The amount of food eaten was also dependent on the time spent in the restaurant. The longer an individual stayed in a restaurant, the more food one would be expected to eat (Bernstein and Leggen, 2010). With changes in the type of environment, both dependent variables change, either directly or indirectly.
Introduction
The experiment aimed at testing the validity of traditional beliefs and previous research on the relationship between the eating environment, the amount of food consumed and the time taken to eat this food. The experiment sought to determine if indeed calm and serene environments lead to consumption of more food coupled with longer eating periods (Logue, 2004). The experiment worked under the hypothesis that noisy environments with bright lighting such as fast food joints result in a reduced amount of food eaten while calm environments with soft décor result in longer eating periods and hence higher food consumption (Borman , 2003).
Participants
The participants consisted of both male and female of various ages. The experimental methods were granted approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the university.
Design
The experiment used an independent groups design and three dependent measures. The independent variable of Group was varied across six levels. The groups were (a) Room with bright décor/upbeat music/no Wi-Fi, (b) Room with soft décor/upbeat music/with Wi-Fi, (c) Room with soft décor/upbeat music/no Wi-Fi, (d) Room with bright décor/upbeat music/with Wi-Fi, (e) Room with bright décor/relaxing music with singing/with Wi-Fi, (f) Room with bright décor/relaxing instrumental music/with Wi-Fi. The three dependent variables were (a) Time spent in restaurant, (b) Percentage of food eaten, and (c) Mean rating of enjoyment of the meal.
Method
The experiment was conducted at a fast food restaurant in Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia. The restaurant consisted of one large 15 m x 20 m dining area and this was modified to create different dining environments. It was also equipped with Wi-Fi access so that customers could connect to the Internet for free and do basic tasks such as web browsing, e-mail messages, access social media sites, and so on. Customers had to have their own mobile devices to do so (e.g., tablet computer, smart phone).
The dining environment was modified in three main ways. First, the décor in the room was either unchanged from the usual “bright” appearance in which it contained bright colours of the walls and furnishings (e.g., yellows, reds, whites), and bright lighting (mean of 500 lox), or it was changed to a “soft” appearance in which the colours of the walls and furnishings were soft earthy colours (e.g., cream, browns, greys, greens), plants and landscape paintings were added, and the lighting was reduced in intensity (mean of 250 lox). Second, the sound played through the ceiling speakers of the room was either “upbeat” music selected from contemporary pop music and played at a moderately loud intensity (mean of 80 dB(A)), “relaxing singing” music that was slower in tempo, contained lyrics/singing, and was played at a soft intensity (mean of 65 dB(A)), or “relaxing instrumental” music that was similar in tempo and intensity to the relaxing lyrical music but did not have any lyrics/singing.
Both types of relaxing music were selected from contemporary artists. Third, the Wi-Fi was either made available for use or it was not made available for use. When the Wi-Fi was made available, signs were posted and customers were told of its availability by staff when the customers ordered. When the Wi-Fi was not available, the signs were removed and staff made no mention of it. If customers asked about using Wi-Fi, they were told the following by staff: “Sorry, the Wi-Fi is not available today because of technical problems”.
The experiment was conducted over 42 continuous days of data collection. Six different types of restaurant environments were created and each was implemented for a continuous 7 day period (i.e., 1 week). Each weekly cycle started on a Monday. The order of weeks for each environment was randomised. The opening store hours were 10:00 until 21:00. The six types of restaurant environments were as follows: (a) bright décor/upbeat music/no Wi-Fi, (b) soft décor/upbeat music/with Wi-Fi, (c) soft décor/upbeat music/no Wi-Fi, (d) bright décor/upbeat music/with Wi-Fi, (e) bright décor/relaxing singing music/with Wi-Fi, and (f) bright décor/relaxing instrumental music/with Wi-Fi. In all other respects, the restaurant was kept the same on the different days (e.g., menu options, price of menu). At the conclusion of the meal, customers were asked if they could participate in a brief survey that asked them about their enjoyment of the meal. Customers that completed the survey were also asked if their data could be included in a research project. The customers were given a copy of the informed consent package and asked to complete the consent form. The percentages of participants that completed the enjoyment ratings and consented for the use of their data were: 75%, 70%, 67%, 78%, 65%, and 62% for environments (a) to (f), respectively. There was no significant difference between the environments in the proportion of customers that consented as assessed by a chi-square statistic, χ2 (5) = 2.67, p = .75. Thus, customers that dined in a certain environment were no more likely than another to provide enjoyment ratings and consent to use their data.
Statistical Analysis
One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to determine if several independent groups in a research analysis have significant differences. Histograms were used to display the relationship between the various scenarios and the frequencies that accompany various groups. The statistical analysis tool, SPSS was used to compare means of the different ratings. Descriptive statistics are especially helpful in screening for out-of-range values and outliers. This enables normal analysis of continuous variables. They also help to show maximum, minimum and mean values of the data set. One sample median tests coupled with the use of histograms may also be used in statistical study. The chi square test is used to determine whether the observations in a certain variable differ from the preset hypothesis.
Results
One-way
[DataSet1] C:\Users\KIOBI\Desktop\SPSSdata.sav
ANOVA
Time spent at restaurant
Graph
[DataSet1] C:\Users\KIOBI\Desktop\SPSSdata.sav
Frequencies
[DataSet1] C:\Users\KIOBI\Desktop\SPSSdata.sav
Statistics
Frequency Table
Percentage of food consumed by customer
Room description
Histogram
Means
[DataSet1] C:\Users\KIOBI\Desktop\SPSSdata.sav
Report
Rating made to the question “I enjoyed it"
Notes
Means
Report
NPar Tests
Based on availability of workspace memory
Chi-Square Test
Frequencies
Room description
Test Statistics
a 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 30.5.
Discussion
The mean enjoyment rating was found to be from the soft decor, with upbeat music and availability of Wi-Fi. This was especially in response to the question of whether the individual enjoyed it. This was quite different from the earlier case studies that showed that bright decors lead to increased food consumption. Upbeat music encourages people to eat more and to enjoy their food. This was despite the unavailability of Wi-Fi. Internet connection may tend to reduce focus and concentration on food hence causing one not to enjoy the whole experience of eating. The same environment led to an exciting experience for most individuals as compared to all the other settings.
According to the statistical analysis carried out via descriptive statistics, the mean number of previous visits to the restaurant was one. This means that this was a fairly comfortable environment for them. This reduced the threats to validity of the data collected. The standard deviation for most variables was quite low (below 1). This small variance shows that this was a good measurement of the population that was under scrutiny. However, the standard deviation for the percentage of food consumed was very high.
This implies that the methods used in determining the amount of food consumed may not have been very accurate. The questions on rating the experience showed a mean of approximately 3 out of 5. This shows that most people were fairly comfortable with the experience. The results of the chi square test indicated that the sample did not differ significantly from the hypothesized values supplied. The chi square test had three degree of freedom (chi square= 2.67 and p= 0.75)
Conclusion
Wi-Fi had the effect of increasing an individual’s enjoyment of the whole experience. This is because of the higher mean values obtained when Wi-Fi was made available. Furthermore, individuals generally preferred soft décor to bright décor (Bernstein, 2011). This is due to the higher mean values obtained when the only variant was décor. There were no significant differences in playing soft music with signing and substituting the singing for instrumentals (Preedy, 2011). However, most people preferred soft music with singing. The results showed that upbeat music and bright environments as found in fast food joints lead to increase in food consumption. Time spent at such joints is less than at more serene restaurants (Wansink, 2010). Such environments lead to increased consumption, but those who eat in more serene environments experience more satisfaction than their counterparts in fast food joints.
References
Kendzierski, D., & DeCarlo, K. J. (1991). Physical activity enjoyment scale: Two validation studies. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13, 50-64.
Bernstein, D. A. (2011). Essentials of Psychology (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Bernstein, M., & Luggen, A. S. (2010). Nutrition for the Older Adult. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Borman, W. C. (2003). Handbook of Psychology. Hoboken: John Wiley.
Logue, A. W. (2004). The Psychology of Eating and Drinking (3rd ed.). London: Taylor and Francis.
Preedy, V. R. (2011). Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. New York: Springer.
Wansink, B. (2010). Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. New York: Bantam Books.
