About Our Lab

A virtual reality space depicts a restaurant with two people sitting at a table.

The HIT Lab examines food cue reactivity, which is the study of what drives people to choose certain foods and certain amounts of food. One of the potent food cues the lab examines is food and beverage marketing, especially on social media. The lab also uses other technologies, such as iVR and EMA, to explore these questions.

Multiple sources, including the National Institutes of Health, McCormick Science Institute, Huck Family Endowment, Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the Social Science Research Institute fund the lab.

Representative Past Studies

A doctor shows a patient nutrition information on a laptop while they sit at a desk.

Assessing the effectiveness of video materials

To improve medical students and medical providers’ interest, knowledge, confidence, and intent in using herbs and spices in foods and their perspective on use with patients

A teen girl sits at a gaming computer eating popcorn and looking at her phone.

Exploring Livestreams: The Influence of Digital Food Marketing on Adolescent Behavior and Attitudes

Portion size effect in virtual reality and digital dietitian education outcomes

Past Studies

Maksi SJ, Long JW, Keller KL, Dardis F, Freeman J, Vecchi M, Emond JA, Masterson TD. Exploring adolescent vulnerability to influencer product endorsement on snack intake within a livestreaming context. Technology, Mind, and Behavior. Accepted 2024
Long, J. W., Maksi, S. J., Fr´ıas, F. J. L., Ireland, R., & Masterson, T. D. (2024). Content analysis of food and beverage marketing in global esports: Sponsorships of the premier events, leagues, teams, and players. BMJ Public Health, 2 (1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000095
Maksi SJ, Kathleen KL, Dardis F, Vecchi M, Freeman J, Evans RK, Boyland E, Masterson TD. The Food and Beverage Cues in Digital Marketing (FBCDM) Model: Special Considerations of Social Media and Livestreaming Environments on Food Marketing and Eating Behavior Research. Frontiers Nutrition 2024;10
Hayashi D, Edwards C, Emond JA, Gilbert-Diamond D, Butt M, Rigby A, Masterson TD. What Is Food Noise? A Conceptual Model of Food Cue Reactivity. Nutrients. 2023; 15(22):4809. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15224809
Hayashi D, Masterson TD, Rogers AM, Rigby A, Butt M. Psychometric Analysis of the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants-Short Form to Evaluate Dietary Quality in a Pre-Surgical Bariatric Population. Nutrients. 2023 Jul 29;15(15):3372. doi: 10.3390/nu15153372. PMID: 37571309; PMCID: PMC10420949.
Long, J. W., Pritschet, S. J., Keller, K. L., Cheah, C. S. L., Boot, L., Klippel, A., Brick, T. R., Edwards, C. G., Rolls, B. J., & Masterson, T. D. (2023). Portion size affects food selection in an immersive virtual reality buffet and is related to measured intake in laboratory meals varying in portion size. Appetite, 191, 107052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107052
Long, J. W., Masters, B., Sajjadi, P., Simons, C., & Masterson, T. D. (2023). The development of an immersive mixed-reality application to improve the ecological validity of eating and sensory behavior research. Frontiers in Nutrition, 10, 1170311. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1170311
Haushalter K, Pritschet SJ, Long JW, et al. User engagement with a popular food brand before, during and after a multi-day interactive marketing campaign on a popular live streaming platform. Public Health Nutrition. 2023:1-9. doi:10.1017/S1368980023000083
Edwards CG, Pollack CC, Pritschet SJ, Haushalter K, Long JW, Masterson TD. Prevalence and comparisons of alcohol, candy, energy drink, snack, soda, and restaurant brand and product marketing on Twitch, Facebook Gaming and YouTube Gaming. Public Health Nutrition. 2022;25(1):1-12. doi:10.1017/S1368980021004420.

A student wearing a lab coat and hairnet weighs cookies on a scale in a kitchen lab.