Effects of Imaging Cooking Behaviors on Cooking Intentions of University Students living alone

Abstract

Factors that promote cooking behavior for the purpose of health promotion have been examined. Against this background, the present study examined whether imagining oneself cooking improves cooking intention and cooking efficacy in 24 college students (11 female, 13 male, M=21.25±2.27 years old) who lived alone by using a hypothetical situation method. The experiment consisted of reading a description of a situation in which the participants were asked to make a decision about whether or not to cook, and answering a questionnaire about their intention and efficacy after performing the task. The experimental group was asked to read the description of the scene and to describe what they imagined in the scene. The control group was asked to read the scene descriptions, convert the characters to katakana, and write them down from the opposite direction. The results showed that there was no significant difference in intention and efficacy between the experimental and control groups, but there was a moderate effect size, indicating a tendency to arouse intention and efficacy. In the future, it is expected to be verified as a simple motivational strategy by comparing it with the case of presenting only instructional stimuli.