Idaho State University
In 2010, Kelsie Hendrickson elected to study under the supervision of Dr. Erin Rasmussen in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Idaho State University. Her master's thesis examined decision-making patterns, via a computerized discounting paradigm, for hypothetical monetary and food outcomes in obese and healthy-weight adults. It also explored effects of a brief mindful eating training on delay and probability discounting. This study was published in Behaviour Research and Therapy and was presented as part of a symposium at the 2012 ABAI Annual Convention. To further develop this line of research, Kelsie helped construct a paper-and-pencil delay discounting measure for food that is an extension of the Monetary-Choice Questionnaire. She hopes that the measure will help facilitate data collection within classroom settings, particularly for behavioral research aimed at understanding the mechanisms of food choice and obesity. For her dissertation, Kelsie is using the delay discounting measure to investigate decision-making patterns for hypothetical money and food between obese and healthy-weight adolescents and adults, as well as to explore the effects of mindful eating within these populations. The goal is to help clinicians and researchers identify cost-effective and easy-to-disseminate ways to help prevent, treat, and better understand mechanisms influencing childhood obesity.
Back to Bijou Grant Recipients
