This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hewig, J. Articles by Miltner, W. H. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hewig, J. Articles by Miltner, W. H. R.

Drive for Thinness and Attention Toward Specific Body Parts in a Nonclinical Sample

From the Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology (J.H., R.R.T., H.H., T.S., W.H.R.M.), Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany; and the Office for Health Promotion (S.C.), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Johannes Hewig, Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Steiger 3, Haus 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany. E-mail: hewig{at}biopsy.uni-jena.de

Objective: To examine the differences between participants scoring high versus low on a drive for thinness construct concerning their visual attention toward specific body parts. We hypothesized that participants scoring high on the drive for thinness subscale would show increased attention to body regions, which are important in the assessment of body weight and thinness like the waist, hips, legs, and arms.

Method: We examined eye-gaze behavior of a nonclinical sample of 51 male and female college students with an eye-tracking system as they were looking at pictures of young, attractive males and females. In addition, we used the Eating Disorder Inventory to measure drive for thinness.

Results: Participants with increased scores on the drive for thinness subscale looked longer and more often to the waist, hips, legs, and arms as compared with low scorers. In addition, they showed decreased attention toward the head or face.

Conclusion: The results indicate that participants scoring high on drive for thinness show an attentional bias toward body regions that are associated with assessing changes in weight. However, they neglected the face, which is the most important source of social and affective information when looking at others.

Key Words: eye tracking • gaze • eating disorders • thinness • attentional bias

Abbreviations: EDI = Eating Disorder Inventory; GLM = general linear model.