Expectancy theory
memories of behavior, eating behaviors, eating)—may, undereating
A long-standing psychological theory applied to understand health-related behaviors is Expectancy Theory, which posits that through social and personal learning individuals develop memories of behavior outcomes, known as “expectancies,” and these expectancies impact their future behavior (Expectancy Theory may apply to other eating behaviors including overeating highly processed foods and undereating minimally processed foods. Food-related emotional expectancies—the anticipated positively- and negatively-valenced emotional outcomes of eating different foods (distinct from more general expectancies about eating)—may especially be relevant to understanding food intake (