Testing the specificity of interpretation biases in women with eating disorder symptoms: An online experimental assessment

Abstract

Objective Cognitive biases, such as memory, attention, and interpretation bias, are thought to play a central role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the interpretation bias is ED‐specific or can be generalized to comorbid disorder‐related threats in women with high levels of ED symptoms. Method In an online study, we measured interpretation bias using the modified Sentence Word Association Paradigm (SWAP), comparing women with (n = 39) and without (sub)threshold eating disorders (n = 56). We assessed endorsement and rejection rates as well as reaction times in response to a positive/neutral or a negative ED‐specific, social anxiety‐specific (SAD), or generalized anxiety‐specific (GAD) interpretive word following an ambiguous sentence. Results In ambiguous situations, women with high ED symptoms selected more negative (p < .001) and fewer positive/neutral ED‐related interpretations (p < .001). Negative interpretations were endorsed significantly faster (p < .001), while positive interpretations were rejected faster in this group (p < .001). These women also manifested negative SAD‐specific interpretation bias patterns in reaction time measures. Nevertheless, ED severity was best predicted by the endorsement of negative ED‐specific stimuli, whereas ED and SAD reaction time measures seemed to have a negligible effect. Discussion The results indicate that the interpretation bias might be ED‐specific. The SWAP can be a useful tool for the further investigation of the etiological relevance of the interpretation bias as well as for the development of modification training interventions.

Scrambled but valid? The scrambled sentences task as a measure of interpretation biases in psychopathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Research has found that IBs not only often correlate with symptoms of psychopathology (e.g., Korn, Dietel, & Hartmann, 2020;, but also predict future symptoms and even the onset of a disorder (Kleim et al, 2013;Woud et al, 2014). Further, experimental manipulation of IBs can lead to changes in analog, and over time, actual symptoms of psychopathology (e.g., Joormann et al, 2015;Van Bockstaele et al, 2020) albeit not consistently across the literature (Fodor et al, 2020;Jones & Sharpe, 2017).…”

Scrambled but valid? The Scrambled Sentences Task as a Measure of Interpretation Biases in Psychopathology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Research has found that IBs not only often correlate with symptoms of psychopathology (e.g., Korn, Dietel, & Hartmann, 2020;, but also predict future symptoms and even the onset of a disorder (Kleim et al, 2013;Woud, Zhang, Becker, McNally, & Margraf, 2014). Further, experimental manipulation of IBs can lead to changes in analog, and over time, actual symptoms of psychopathology (e.g., Hirsch et al, 2018;Joormann, Waugh, & Gotlib, 2015;Mathews & Mackintosh, 2000;Van Bockstaele, Clarke, Notebaert, MacLeod, & Salemink, 2020).…”

Biased and inflexible interpretations of ambiguous social situations: Associations with eating disorder symptoms and socioemotional functioning

“…While not a limitation per se, a further consideration is that Emotional BADE Task scenarios focus on themes of interpersonal rejection/social failure. A stronger relation between disordered eating and interpretation processes might have been found using scenarios with more eating‐disorder‐specific content (Korn, Dietel, & Hartmann, 2020). Other potential limitations stem from our use of an MTurk sample, which may not be representative of nonclinical populations experiencing eating disorder symptoms.…”

“…using scenarios with more eating-disorder-specific content (Korn, Dietel, & Hartmann, 2020). Other potential limitations stem from our use of an MTurk sample, which may not be representative of nonclinical populations experiencing eating disorder symptoms.…”