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Cognitive Biases in Depression and Eating Disorders

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Abstract

This study examined the link between cognitive biases (i.e., attention biases and implicit associations) and symptoms of depression and eating disorders and whether the content of these biases is disorder-specific. These hypotheses were examined with a sample of 202 undergraduate women. Cognitive biases were measured via computer-based tasks (i.e., the probe detection task and the Implicit Association Test) and symptom levels were measured via interview and self-report. Partially supporting the main hypothesis, symptoms of depression and eating disorders were significantly correlated with disorder-specific implicit associations but not attentional biases. Partially supporting the specificity hypothesis, there was evidence for stronger associations between symptoms of eating disorders and eating specific implicit associations.

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Notes

  1. Analyses were conducted to examine any potential non-linear relations (i.e., quadratic or cubic) between symptoms (as measured both by the interview and self-report measures) and attentional biases. No significant non-linear relations were observed.

  2. Results of these analyses can be obtained from the first author.

  3. We would like to mention, however, that post hoc analyses of analogue groups (high scores for both disorders, low scores for both disorders, and high scores for one disorder with low scores for the other disorder) revealed that no group effects existed.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA

    Jessica S. Benas & Brandon E. Gibb

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  1. Jessica S. Benas
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Benas, J.S., Gibb, B.E. Cognitive Biases in Depression and Eating Disorders. Cogn Ther Res 35, 68–78 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-009-9279-1

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