TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of Weight/Shape Implicit Bias Related to Attractiveness, Fear, and Disgust
AU - Ritzert, Timothy R.
AU - Anderson, Lisa M.
AU - Reilly, Erin E.
AU - Gorrell, Sasha
AU - Forsyth, John P.
AU - Anderson, Drew A.
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - Research using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) suggests that a positive bias toward thinness, rather than a negative bias toward fatness, might underlie implicitly assessed evaluative responding regarding body image. Because these results contrast with reports of widespread anti-fat attitudes, we aimed to clarify the nature of implicitly assessed evaluative body image responding by using stimuli more central to body image concerns. Seventy-five undergraduates (65.8 % female) completed two IRAPs to examine three aims: (1) create IRAPs sensitive to histories of self-oriented anti-fat responding by using attractiveness-, fear-, and disgust-based stimulus relations; (2) evaluate responses to the different types of stimulus relations on the IRAPs separately and compare them to each other; and (3) examine correlations among IRAP responding and self-report measures of disgust, fear of fatness, and eating pathology. Results showed that participants demonstrated a self-thin-attractive relational bias. Unexpectedly, respondents also showed a self-fat-attractive relational bias and did not display self-fat-disgusting or self-fat-fear responding. IRAP effects for self-thin-attractive stimulus relations were larger than those for self-fat-attractive stimulus relations, suggesting the pro-self bias on these two trial types was larger when relating to oneself as being thin than when relating to oneself as being overweight. Correlations with self-report measures were nonsignificant. Results are discussed in the context of gaining a better understanding of implicit evaluative body image responding and contextual variables that influence IRAP responding.
AB - Research using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) suggests that a positive bias toward thinness, rather than a negative bias toward fatness, might underlie implicitly assessed evaluative responding regarding body image. Because these results contrast with reports of widespread anti-fat attitudes, we aimed to clarify the nature of implicitly assessed evaluative body image responding by using stimuli more central to body image concerns. Seventy-five undergraduates (65.8 % female) completed two IRAPs to examine three aims: (1) create IRAPs sensitive to histories of self-oriented anti-fat responding by using attractiveness-, fear-, and disgust-based stimulus relations; (2) evaluate responses to the different types of stimulus relations on the IRAPs separately and compare them to each other; and (3) examine correlations among IRAP responding and self-report measures of disgust, fear of fatness, and eating pathology. Results showed that participants demonstrated a self-thin-attractive relational bias. Unexpectedly, respondents also showed a self-fat-attractive relational bias and did not display self-fat-disgusting or self-fat-fear responding. IRAP effects for self-thin-attractive stimulus relations were larger than those for self-fat-attractive stimulus relations, suggesting the pro-self bias on these two trial types was larger when relating to oneself as being thin than when relating to oneself as being overweight. Correlations with self-report measures were nonsignificant. Results are discussed in the context of gaining a better understanding of implicit evaluative body image responding and contextual variables that influence IRAP responding.
KW - Body dissatisfaction
KW - Implicit bias
KW - Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure
KW - Weight-related biases
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84979498461&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s40732-016-0181-4
DO - 10.1007/s40732-016-0181-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84979498461
SN - 0033-2933
VL - 66
SP - 405
EP - 417
JO - Psychological Record
JF - Psychological Record
IS - 3
ER -