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Assessment of Weight/Shape Implicit Bias Related to Attractiveness, Fear, and Disgust

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Abstract

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.

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Notes

  1. Throughout this manuscript, we use the terms bias, relational bias, and implicit bias to refer to relational responses that are emitted with high degrees of speed and/or accuracy because the specific stimulus relations involved in the responses have been derived or directly reinforced frequently in the past. In this way we do not use these terms to refer to the influence of unobserved mental constructs. For instance, an “implicit anti-fat relational bias” suggests that functionally similar relational responses involving negative responding toward overweight stimuli (e.g., being overweight is bad) are well-practiced, cohere with one’s relational history, and are emitted with relative ease and automaticity.

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Author Note

We are thankful for Lauren Knauf, who helped with study administration; Jillian Montreuil, who helped with numerous literature searches for this article; and Dermot Barnes-Holmes, for his comments and suggestions related to this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Social Sciences 399, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Ave, Albany, NY, 12222, USA

    Timothy R. Ritzert, Lisa M. Anderson, Erin E. Reilly, Sasha Gorrell, John P. Forsyth & Drew A. Anderson

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  1. Timothy R. Ritzert
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  2. Lisa M. Anderson
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Correspondence to Timothy R. Ritzert.

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Ritzert, T.R., Anderson, L.M., Reilly, E.E. et al. Assessment of Weight/Shape Implicit Bias Related to Attractiveness, Fear, and Disgust. Psychol Rec 66, 405–417 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-016-0181-4

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