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House T, Stephen ID, Brooks KR, Bould H, Attwood AS, Penton-Voak IS. The effect of an odd-one-out visual search task on attentional bias, body size adaptation, and body dissatisfaction. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231817. [PMID: 39021772 PMCID: PMC11252673 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Body image disturbance is a both a risk factor for, and a symptom of, many eating disorders and refers to the misperception of and dissatisfaction with one's own body. Women with high body dissatisfaction have been shown to direct more attention to low body mass index (BMI) bodies, which results in the overestimation of body size via body size adaptation. Therefore, attention may have a causal role in body image disturbance. We conducted a novel training visual search task with 142 young adult women who we trained to attend to either high or low BMI bodies. We assessed the effects of this training on attention to bodies of different sizes, body size adaptation, and body dissatisfaction. Women trained to attend to low BMI bodies decreased their perceptions of a 'normal' body size via adaptation from pre- to post-training (p < 0.001); however, women trained to attend to high BMI bodies showed no change in their perception of a 'normal' body size. We found no lasting effects of the training on attention to body size or body dissatisfaction; however, our visual search task showed poor internal consistency as a measure of attention. These findings indicate that attention to low BMI bodies may exacerbate body image disturbance in women. However, more reliable measures of attentional are required to confirm this finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. House
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
| | - I. D. Stephen
- Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK
| | - K. R. Brooks
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- Perception in Action Research Centre (PARC), Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- Lifespan Health & Wellbeing Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - H. Bould
- Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
- Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
| | - A. S. Attwood
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - I. S. Penton-Voak
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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2
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Dondzilo L, Rodgers RF, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz M, Vartanian LR, Krug I, Preece DA, MacLeod J, MacLeod C. Attentional engagement with and disengagement from appearance ideals: Differential associations with body dissatisfaction frequency and duration? Body Image 2024; 48:101680. [PMID: 38301330 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Recent work has served to dissociate two dimensions of trait body dissatisfaction: body dissatisfaction frequency and body dissatisfaction duration. The present study sought to evaluate whether body dissatisfaction frequency and body dissatisfaction duration are each associated with distinct patterns of appearance-related cognitive processing. It was hypothesized that speeded attentional engagement with idealized bodies is associated with higher frequency of body dissatisfaction episodes, while slowed attentional disengagement from such information may instead be associated with higher duration of body dissatisfaction episodes. Participants (238 women, 149 men) completed an attentional task capable of independently assessing attentional engagement with, and attentional disengagement from, idealized bodies. Participants also completed both trait and in vivo (i.e., ecological momentary assessment) measures of body dissatisfaction frequency and duration. Results showed that neither engagement nor disengagement bias index scores predicted variance in either body dissatisfaction frequency measures or body dissatisfaction duration measures. Findings suggest that either biased attentional engagement with, and disengagement from, idealized bodies do not associate with the frequency and duration of body dissatisfaction episodes, or there are other key moderating factors involved in the expression of body dissatisfaction-linked attentional bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dondzilo
- Elizabeth Rutherford Memorial Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Rachel F Rodgers
- APPEAR, Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, United States; Department of Psychiatric Emergency & Acute Care, Lapeyronie Hospital, CHRU Montpellier, France
| | - Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Center for Social and Early Emotional Development, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
| | | | - Isabel Krug
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David A Preece
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; Curtin enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia; School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Jasmine MacLeod
- Elizabeth Rutherford Memorial Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Colin MacLeod
- Elizabeth Rutherford Memorial Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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3
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Yao J, Leng X, Chen Y, Chen M, Liu A, Feng C, Feng W. Attentional suppression of weight-related distractors among females with weight dissatisfaction. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14408. [PMID: 37548290 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Although many studies have investigated attentional biases toward weight-related information among individuals with weight dissatisfaction, the mechanisms underlying the processing of task-irrelevant and spatial-irrelevant weight-related information as distractors remain unclear. Participants were assigned to groups according to their levels of weight dissatisfaction to address this question. Participants with high weight dissatisfaction (HWD) were assigned to the experimental group; those with low weight dissatisfaction (LWD) were assigned to a control group. By recording event-related potentials during a visual search task along the median vertical line, fatness-related/thinness-related/neutral words and scrambled strokes were presented horizontally in pairs as task-irrelevant distractors. The results showed that intact words facilitated fast attentional orienting compared to scrambled strokes, as revealed by the significant N2pc for all types of intact words for both the HWD and LWD groups. More importantly, only fatness- and thinness-related words elicited the evident PD in the HWD group, and the PD amplitudes were larger in the HWD group compared to the LWD group. These findings suggest that weight-related distractors were actively suppressed after initial attentional orienting among females with HWD. This reveals the mechanisms of attentional biases toward weight-related information among females with HWD and contributes to the model of the cognitive-behavioral theory of body image disturbance. These results may help enhance prevention and interventions for reducing weight dissatisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Yao
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xuechen Leng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yixuan Chen
- College of Teacher Education, Lishui University, Lishui, China
| | - Minran Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Aixin Liu
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chengzhi Feng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wenfeng Feng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Research Center for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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4
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Ascione M, Carulla-Roig M, Miquel-Nabau H, Porras-Garcia B, Meschberger-Annweiler FA, Serrano-Troncoso E, Ferrer-Garcia M, Moreno-Sánchez M, Gutierrez-Maldonado J. Attentional Bias Modification Training Based on Virtual Reality and Eye Tracking in Anorexia Nervosa Patients. J Clin Med 2023; 12:5932. [PMID: 37762873 PMCID: PMC10531827 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12185932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) patients exhibit attentional bias (AB) related to the body, which is the tendency to pay greater attention to weight-related body areas compared to non-weight-related ones. This phenomenon has been linked to elevated levels of body dissatisfaction (BD) and may potentially reduce the effectiveness of body exposure therapy. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the efficacy of a single session of a new body-related AB modification task (ABMT) that combines virtual reality with eye tracking in patients with AN. The goals of the ABMT are to reduce body-related AB by balancing attention between weight and non-weight-related body areas and to reduce BD levels. Twenty-three adolescent patients with AN were embodied in a virtual avatar and immersed in a virtual environment where they completed the ABMT. Body-related AB measures and BD levels were assessed before and after the training. A paired samples t-test showed statistically significant differences between pre-assessment and post-assessment; the complete fixation time on weight-related body parts was reduced and BD levels decreased. The initial evidence of the efficacy of this ABMT has important clinical implications, since AB and BD are considered risk factors for developing and maintaining eating disorder symptomatology among patients with AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariarca Ascione
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.A.); (H.M.-N.); (F.-A.M.-A.); (M.F.-G.)
| | - Marta Carulla-Roig
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain; (M.C.-R.); (E.S.-T.)
| | - Helena Miquel-Nabau
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.A.); (H.M.-N.); (F.-A.M.-A.); (M.F.-G.)
| | - Bruno Porras-Garcia
- Department of Population Health Science, University of Utah School of Medicine, 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA;
| | - Franck-Alexandre Meschberger-Annweiler
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.A.); (H.M.-N.); (F.-A.M.-A.); (M.F.-G.)
| | - Eduardo Serrano-Troncoso
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona, Passeig de Sant Joan de Déu, 2, Esplugues de Llobregat, 08950 Barcelona, Spain; (M.C.-R.); (E.S.-T.)
| | - Marta Ferrer-Garcia
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.A.); (H.M.-N.); (F.-A.M.-A.); (M.F.-G.)
| | - Manuel Moreno-Sánchez
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Jose Gutierrez-Maldonado
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.A.); (H.M.-N.); (F.-A.M.-A.); (M.F.-G.)
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5
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Dondzilo L, Basanovic J. Body dissatisfaction and selective attention to thin-ideal bodies: The moderating role of attentional control. Body Image 2023; 46:443-448. [PMID: 37582317 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
It has been widely hypothesised that elevated body dissatisfaction is characterised by a biased pattern of attentional selectivity that reflects increased attention to stimuli portraying the thin-ideal. Empirical evidence in support of this notion, however, has been inconsistent. The current study aimed to examine the potential moderating role of attentional control in the association between body dissatisfaction and selective attentional responding to thin-ideal bodies. Female undergraduate students (N = 232) completed a self-report measure of body dissatisfaction followed by performance-based measures of attentional control and selective attention. Results provided support for the moderating role of attentional control. Specifically, a positive association between body dissatisfaction and biased selective attention towards thin-ideal bodies was evident only amongst individuals with relatively low levels of attentional control. A general association between body dissatisfaction and selective attention was not observed. These findings may explain previous inconsistent findings and highlight the importance of considering the potential role of attentional control in the expression of body dissatisfaction-linked attentional responding to thin-ideal bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dondzilo
- Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Australia
| | - Julian Basanovic
- Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Australia; Psychology, University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
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6
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House T, Graham K, Ellis B, Bould H, Attwood AS, Stephen ID, Brooks KR, Penton-Voak IS. Is body dissatisfaction related to an attentional bias towards low weight bodies in non-clinical samples of women? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Body Image 2023; 44:103-119. [PMID: 36563472 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Body dissatisfaction is defined as the negative subjective evaluation of one's body and is considered a risk factor for, and symptom of, eating disorders. Some studies show women with high body dissatisfaction display an attentional bias towards low weight bodies; however, this finding is not consistent, and results are yet to be systematically synthesised. We conducted a qualitative and quantitative synthesis of cross-sectional studies investigating the relationship between body dissatisfaction and attentional bias to low weight bodies in non-clinical samples of women. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, ProQuest, and OpenGrey for studies up until September 2022. We identified 34 eligible studies involving a total of 2857 women. A meta-analysis of 26 studies (75 effects) found some evidence from gaze tracking studies for a positive association between body dissatisfaction and attentional bias to low weight bodies. We found no evidence for an association from studies measuring attention using the dot probe task, electroencephalogram (EEG) recording, or the modified spatial cueing task. The results together provide partial support for the positive association between body dissatisfaction and attentional bias to low weight bodies in women. These findings can be used to inform future attentional bias research.
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Affiliation(s)
- T House
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia; School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
| | - K Graham
- Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
| | - B Ellis
- EPSRC CDT in Digital Health and Care, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - H Bould
- Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, United Kingdom; Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, Centre for Academic Mental Health, University of Bristol, United Kingdom; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - A S Attwood
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, United Kingdom; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - I D Stephen
- NTU Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - K R Brooks
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
| | - I S Penton-Voak
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, United Kingdom; National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, United Kingdom
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7
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Talbot D, Mahlberg J, Cunningham ML, Pinkus RT, Szabo M. The Somatomorphic Matrix-Female: More evidence for the validity of bidimensional figural rating scales for women. J Clin Psychol 2023; 79:477-496. [PMID: 36000930 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Our study aimed to develop and provide a preliminary psychometric validation of the Somatomorphic Matrix-Female (SM-F), a new bidimensional female figural rating scale which can be used to gauge actual and desired levels of both body fat and muscularity in a consolidated measure, as well as providing an index of actual-desired body discrepancy based on these measures. Across two studies undergraduate women (n Study 1 = 481; n Study 2 = 391) completed the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, the Body Shape Questionnaire-34, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (Study 1) and the Drive for Thinness Scale and the Drive for Muscularity Scale (Study 2), as well as the SM-F. Overall, the SM-F demonstrated sound content, concurrent, and convergent validity for actual and desired body fat, actual and desired muscularity, and their respective discrepancy scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Talbot
- Department of Psychiatry, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Notre Dame, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Justin Mahlberg
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Rebecca T Pinkus
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marianna Szabo
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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8
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Fusco G, Ciccarone S, Petrucci M, Cozzani B, Vercelli G, Cotugno A, Bufalari I. Altered processing of conflicting body representations in women with restrictive anorexia nervosa. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023:10.1007/s00426-022-01788-3. [PMID: 36592180 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01788-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive and affective impairments in processing body image have been observed in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and may induce the hypercontrolled and regulative behaviors observed in this disorder. Here, we aimed to probe the link between activation of body representations and cognitive control by investigating the ability to resolve body-related representational conflicts in women with restrictive AN and matched healthy controls (HC). Participants performed a modified version of the Flanker task in which underweight and overweight body images were presented as targets and distractors; a classic version of the task, with letters, was also administered as a control. The findings indicated that performance was better among the HC group in the task with bodies compared to the task with letters; however, no such facilitation was observed in AN patients, whose overall performance was poorer than that of the HC group in both tasks. In the task with body stimuli, performance among patients with AN was the worst on trials presenting underweight targets with overweight bodies as flankers. These results may reflect a dysfunctional association between the processing of body-related representations and cognitive control mechanisms that may aid clinicians in the development of optimal individualized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Fusco
- Department of Psychology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, "Sapienza" University of Rome and CLN2S@SAPIENZA, Rome, Italy.
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
| | - S Ciccarone
- Department of Psychology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, "Sapienza" University of Rome and CLN2S@SAPIENZA, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - M Petrucci
- Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva S.r.l., Rome, Italy
- Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy
| | - B Cozzani
- Eating Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry, ASL Roma1, Rome, Italy
| | - G Vercelli
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - A Cotugno
- Eating Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry, ASL Roma1, Rome, Italy
| | - I Bufalari
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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9
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Zhu L, Zhou H, Wang X, Ma X, Liu Q. Preference for ugly faces? -A cognitive study of attentional and memorial biases toward facial information among young females with facial dissatisfaction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1024197. [PMID: 36405166 PMCID: PMC9668061 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1024197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissatisfaction with facial appearance is one of the strongest contributors to body image disturbance among young Chinese females and leads to a series of psychological and behavioral disorders. By conducting behavioral and ERP experiments, this study illustrates how young females in China with facial dissatisfaction process different levels of facial attractiveness. Experiments 1 and 2 are behavioral experiments in which the dot-probe paradigm was used to explore the participant's attentional bias to facial attractiveness. The results showed that regardless of whether the face image was presented above or below the threshold, young females with facial dissatisfaction exhibited attentional orientation toward lowly attractive faces and attentional avoidance to both lowly and highly attractive faces, while the control group showed difficulty in attentional disengagement from highly attractive faces. In experiment 3, the learning-recognition task was used to examine mnemonic bias toward facial attractiveness among females with facial dissatisfaction, and EEG data were also recorded during the encoding and retrieval phases. The study found that young females with facial dissatisfaction exhibited a mnemonic preference for lowly attractive images at both the encoding and retrieving stages, with higher P1, N170, P2, and N300 induced by lowly attractive faces, while the control group preferred highly attractive faces. In conclusion, young females with facial dissatisfaction tend to exhibit attentional orientation and mnemonic bias toward lowly attractive faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Zhu
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,School of Education and Psychology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Huan Zhou
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Huan Zhou,
| | - Xiaogang Wang
- School of Education and Psychology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiaolan Liu
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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10
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Abstract
Over the past 30 years, attentional bias for body shape and weight content has been implicated in the precipitation and maintenance of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Although the existence of this bias toward body stimuli is well-established in female populations, it is comparatively understudied in men. This review aimed to examine the nature of this visual attentional bias toward male bodies in male samples across a range of different attentional paradigms, including eye-tracking, dot-probe, and the visual search task. Results were heterogenous, finding some evidence that men with higher body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms demonstrated an attentional bias toward desirable bodies of other men, and undesirable features of their own bodies. These results suggest that schematic cognitive models of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders body may also be applicable to men, however more research is needed.
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11
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Body dissatisfaction, rumination and attentional disengagement toward computer-generated bodies. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02180-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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12
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De Coster L, Sánchez-Herrero P, López-Moreno J, Tajadura-Jiménez A. Use of a real-life practical context changes the relationship between implicit body representations and real body measurements. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14451. [PMID: 34262115 PMCID: PMC8280174 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93865-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A mismatch exists between people's mental representations of their own body and their real body measurements, which may impact general well-being and health. We investigated whether this mismatch is reduced when contextualizing body size estimation in a real-life scenario. Using a reverse correlation paradigm, we constructed unbiased, data-driven visual depictions of participants' implicit body representations. Across three conditions-own abstract, ideal, and own concrete body-participants selected the body that looked most like their own, like the body they would like to have, or like the body they would use for online shopping. In the own concrete condition only, we found a significant correlation between perceived and real hip width, suggesting that the perceived/real body match only exists when body size estimation takes place in a practical context, although the negative correlation indicated inaccurate estimation. Further, participants who underestimated their body size or who had more negative attitudes towards their body weight showed a positive correlation between perceived and real body size in the own abstract condition. Finally, our results indicated that different body areas were implicated in the different conditions. These findings suggest that implicit body representations depend on situational and individual differences, which has clinical and practical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lize De Coster
- DEI Interactive Systems Group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avenida de la Universidad 30, Leganés, 28911, Spain.
| | | | - Jorge López-Moreno
- Seddi Labs, Madrid, Spain
- Multimodal Simulation Lab, Department of Computer Science and Architecture, Computer Systems and Languages, Statistics and Operative Investigation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Tajadura-Jiménez
- DEI Interactive Systems Group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avenida de la Universidad 30, Leganés, 28911, Spain
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13
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Gandolfo M, Downing PE. Asymmetric visual representation of sex from human body shape. Cognition 2020; 205:104436. [PMID: 32919115 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We efficiently infer others' states and traits from their appearance, and these inferences powerfully shape our social behaviour. One key trait is sex, which is strongly cued by the appearance of the body. What are the visual representations that link body shape to sex? Previous studies of visual sex judgment tasks find observers have a bias to report "male", particularly for ambiguous stimuli. This finding implies a representational asymmetry - that for the processes that generate a sex percept, the default output is "male", and "female" is determined by the presence of additional perceptual evidence. That is, female body shapes are positively coded by reference to a male default shape. This perspective makes a novel prediction in line with Treisman's studies of visual search asymmetries: female body targets should be more readily detected amongst male distractors than vice versa. Across 10 experiments (N = 32 each) we confirmed this prediction and ruled out alternative low-level explanations. The asymmetry was found with profile and frontal body silhouettes, frontal photographs, and schematised icons. Low-level confounds were controlled by balancing silhouette images for size and homogeneity, and by matching physical properties of photographs. The female advantage was nulled for inverted icons, but intact for inverted photographs, suggesting reliance on distinct cues to sex for different body depictions. Together, these findings demonstrate a principle of the perceptual coding that links bodily appearance with a significant social trait: the female body shape is coded as an extension of a male default. We conclude by offering a visual experience account of how these asymmetric representations arise in the first place.
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