Experimental manipulation of visual attention affects body size adaptation but not body dissatisfaction

Stephen, Ian D.; Hunter, Katie; Sturman, Daniel; Mond, Jonathan; Stevenson, Richard J.; Brooks, Kevin R.

doi:10.1002/eat.22976

Cited by 20 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…We found no differences in VAS-or questionnaire-rated satisfaction with body size. These results fit with those described in another recent study [35]. In questionnaire measures of self-esteem and positive affect we found some suggestion that participants felt more positive in general after training with underweight bodies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Does repeatedly viewing overweight versus underweight images change perception of and satisfaction with own body size?

et al. 2020

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Body dissatisfaction is associated with subsequent eating disorders and weight gain. One-off exposure to bodies of different sizes changes perception of others' bodies, and perception of and satisfaction with own body size. The effect of repeated exposure to bodies of different sizes has not been assessed. We randomized women into three groups, and they spent 5 min twice a day for a week completing a one-back task using images of women modified to appear either under, over, or neither over- nor underweight. We tested the effects on their perception of their own and others' body size, and satisfaction with own size. Measures at follow-up were compared between groups, adjusted for baseline measurements. In 93 women aged 18–30 years, images of other women were perceived as larger following exposure to underweight women (and vice versa) ( p < 0.001). There was no evidence for a difference in our primary outcome measure (visual analogue scale own size) or in satisfaction with own size. Avatar-constructed ideal ( p = 0.03) and avatar-constructed perceived own body size ( p = 0.007) both decreased following exposure to underweight women, possibly due to adaptation affecting how the avatar was perceived. Repeated exposure to different sized bodies changes perception of the size of others' bodies, but we did not find evidence that it changes perceived own size.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Does repeatedly viewing overweight versus underweight images change perception of and satisfaction with own body size?

et al. 2020

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“…There is now evidence that the magnitude and direction of the body-size and -shape aftereffect can be manipulated experimentally by directing young male and female participants’ visual attention toward certain stimuli. Thus, instructing participants to look at either the large or thin versions of simultaneously presented body-adaptation stimuli resulted in different directions of adaptation such that participants who were instructed to attend to the thin bodies experienced an “embiggening” aftereffect, whereas participants instructed to attend to the large bodies experienced an aftereffect of perceived size reduction (Stephen et al, 2019). 6…”

Section: In the Eye Of The Beholder: Explaining Individual Differencementioning

confidence: 99%

Looking at the Figures: Visual Adaptation as a Mechanism for Body-Size and -Shape Misperception

Brooks

Mond

Mitchison

et al. 2019

Perspect Psychol Sci

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Many individuals experience body-size and -shape misperception (BSSM). Body-size overestimation is associated with body dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and the development of eating disorders in individuals who desire to be thinner. Similar symptoms have been noted for those who underestimate their muscularity. Conversely, individuals with high body mass indices (BMI) who underestimate their adiposity may not recognize the risks of or seek help for obesity-related medical issues. Although social scientists have examined whether media representations of idealized bodies contribute to the overestimation of fat or underestimation of muscle, other scientists suggest that increases in the prevalence of obesity could explain body-fat underestimation as a form of renormalization. However, these disparate approaches have not advanced our understanding of the perceptual underpinnings of BSSM. Recently, a new unifying account of BSSM has emerged that is based on the long-established phenomenon of visual adaptation, employing psychophysical measurements of perceived size and shape following exposure to “extreme” body stimuli. By inducing BSSM in the laboratory as an aftereffect, this technique is rapidly advancing our understanding of the underlying mental representation of human bodies. This nascent approach provides insight into real-world BSSM and may inform the development of therapeutic and public-health interventions designed to address such perceptual errors.

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“…Similar results have been reported for high‐level aspects of complex stimuli such as facial identity (Rhodes et al , ). More recently, attentional effects have been shown in two empirical demonstrations of body size and shape aftereffects (Stephen et al , ; Stephen, Sturman, Stevenson, Mond, & Brooks, ). Although the source of the own‐gender bias demonstrated in this study cannot be confirmed, it seems likely that this could be explained by enhanced attention to own‐gender stimuli, resulting in larger aftereffects for these conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muscle and fat aftereffects and the role of gender: Implications for body image disturbance

Brooks

Keen

Sturman

et al. 2019

British J of Psychology

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Body image disturbancea cause of distress amongst the general population and those diagnosed with various disordersis often attributed to the media's unrealistic depiction of ideal bodies. These ideals are strongly gendered, leading to pronounced fat concern amongst females, and a male preoccupation with muscularity. Recent research suggests that visual aftereffects may be fundamental to the misperception of body fat and muscle massthe perceptual component of body image disturbance. This study sought to establish the influence of gender on these body 2 aftereffects. Male and female observers were randomly assigned to one of four adaptation conditions (low fat, high fat, low muscle, and high muscle bodies) and were asked to adjust the apparent fat and muscle levels of male and female bodies to make them appear as 'normal' as possible both before and after adaptation. While neither the gender of observers or of body stimuli had a direct effect, aftereffect magnitude was significantly larger when observers viewed owngender (compared to other-gender) stimuli. This effect, which may be due to attentional factors, could have implications for the development of body image disturbance, given the preponderance of idealised own-gender bodies in media marketed to male and female consumers.

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Experimental manipulation of visual attention affects body size adaptation but not body dissatisfaction

Cited by 20 publications

References 64 publications

Does repeatedly viewing overweight versus underweight images change perception of and satisfaction with own body size?

Does repeatedly viewing overweight versus underweight images change perception of and satisfaction with own body size?

Looking at the Figures: Visual Adaptation as a Mechanism for Body-Size and -Shape Misperception

Muscle and fat aftereffects and the role of gender: Implications for body image disturbance

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