Selective mood-induced body image disparagement and enhancement effects: are they due to cognitive priming or subjective mood?
OBJECTIVE
The study evaluated the effects of mood induction procedures on body image.


METHODS
Eighty female undergraduates participated in combinations of two valences (negative vs. positive) and two types (self-referent vs. other-referent) of mood induction procedures (MIPs). A measure of subjective mood and seven measures of body image were administered before and after the MIPs.


RESULTS
Individuals in the self-referent MIP who had high negative body image at the pretest demonstrated increases in negative body image after exposure to the negative valence MIP (a disparagement effect) and decreases in negative body image after exposure to the positive valence MIP (an enhancement effect). This pattern was not evident in the other-referent MIP. Also, changes in negative body image were not appreciably associated with changes in subjective mood.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings yielded support for the cognitive priming hypothesis but not for the subjective mood hypothesis. Further means of examining the cognitive priming hypothesis were outlined.
Rotenberg
Ken J
KJ
Department of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. k.j.rotenberg@keele.ac.uk
Taylor
Daniel
D
Davis
Ron
R
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001828:Body Image; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012928:Social Desirability; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*