Added-value of indirect methods to assess the relationship between implicit memory and food choices in adult consumers as well as in children

In recent decades, numerous studies conducted to assess the factors impacting food choices and eating behaviors were mainly based on direct protocols in which the participants were directly questioned or explicitly informed about what was expected from them. These direct methods may induce biases in responses, especially due to the social desirability effect. To counteract these drawbacks, indirect protocols, involving priming methods or assessing implicit and explicit attitudes toward foods, can be used to more properly assess consumers' implicit memory representations, and their potential impact on food choices, both in adults as well as in children, according to their weight status. Considering the sanitary interest of studying early determinants of eating behaviors, these indirect protocols offer challenging perspectives in the field of food sciences.