Eye‐tracking research in eating disorders: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: Those with eating disorders (EDs) show attentional biases to disorder-relevant stimuli, such as food and body shape information. However, attentional bias research in EDs largely relies on reaction time based measures, which are limited in their ability to assess different components and the time course of attention. Eye-tracking paradigms have therefore been utilized to provide greater ecological validity, and directly capture the detailed sequence of processes in perception and attention. While numerous studies have examined eye movements in the mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, there has been a lack of studies in EDs. The purpose of this qualitative review is to provide a summary of eye-tracking studies in clinical ED populations.Method: The review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify studies examining gaze parameters in ED compared to healthy controls (HCs). Thirty-one studies met inclusion criteria.Results: Across ED diagnoses, there was evidence of attentional biases towards food and body stimuli. In addition, differential patterns of attention to social information, and differences in smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements were found in anorexia nervosa (AN).Discussion: Findings are discussed in relation to research in other psychiatric disorders, and recommendations for future studies using eye-tracking in EDs are given. The findings add to the wider literature on attentional biases in EDs, and provide potential avenues for treatment.Discusión: Los hallazgos se discuten en relación con la investigación en otros trastornos psiquiátricos, y se dan recomendaciones para futuros estudios que utilizan el seguimiento ocular en los TCA. Los hallazgos se suman a la literatura más amplia sobre los sesgos de atención en los TCA y proporcionan posibles vías para el tratamiento. K E Y W O R D Sattentional biases, body image, eating disorders, eye gaze, eye movements, social perception

Emotion Recognition Abilities in Adults with Anorexia Nervosa are Associated with Autistic Traits

“…The current study has a number of strengths. The sample size is one of the largest among eye-tracking studies in individuals with EDs (for a review, see [90]), and it is the first study to measure attention during emotion recognition in both acute and recovered AN. The inclusion of both basic and complex emotions, as well as the use of realistic photo stimuli allowed for a more ecologically valid assessment of emotion recognition abilities.…”

The influence of gender and body dissatisfaction on body‐related attentional bias: An eye‐tracking and virtual reality study

“…Previous studies have suggested that women with ED, and individuals with high BD levels, tend to pay more attention to self-defined unattractive body areas, while healthy participants tend to show a more general scanning behavior, covering either the whole body or the most attractive body parts (Freeman et al, 1991;Jansen, Nederkoorn, & Mulkens, 2005;Kerr-Gaffney, Harrison, & Tchanturia, 2019;Rodgers & DuBois, 2016;Roefs et al, 2008;Tuschen-Caffier et al, 2015).…”

A systematic and methodological review of attentional biases in eating disorders: Food, body, and perfectionism

“…Unlike previous attentional bias reviews including body-and/or food-related stimuli (e.g., Brooks, Prince, et al, 2011;Dobson & Dozois, 2004;Faunce, 2002;Jiang & Vartanian, 2018;Johansson et al, 2005;Kerr-Gaffney, Harrison, & Tchanturia, 2019;Lee & Shafran, 2004), the current review reveals that fMRI was the primary psychophysiological measure used to measure implicit bias in ED, surpassing purely behavioral modified Stroop paradigms that were previously the focus. Historically, fMRI has been more commonly used in anxiety attentional bias studies, finding that fear-related information processing translates to heightened amygdala activation and suggests an automatic hypervigilance toward threat-relevant stimuli (Cisler & Koster, 2010).…”