Manipulation of thinness and restricting expectancies: further evidence for a causal role of thinness and restricting expectancies in the etiology of eating disorders.
To test the eating disorder expectancy theory contention that expectancies for reinforcement from thinness play a causal role in body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms, the authors manipulated expectancies in 2 studies. Participants were exposed to either a psychoeducational intervention or an experimental manipulation of thinness and restricting expectancies. Study 1 participants were symptomatic college women who attended 3 experimental sessions and 1 follow-up session, each 1 week apart. Study 2 participants were high school girls who received the 3 experimental sessions clustered into 2 meetings; they completed symptom measures at baseline and at follow-up. In both samples, the thinness expectancy manipulation produced greater declines in thinness expectancies and body dissatisfaction than did the psychoeducational intervention. For high school girls, the thinness expectancy manipulation also produced a greater decline in overall eating-disordered attitudes. These results provide further support for the role of expectancies in the etiology of eating-disordered behaviors.
Annus
Agnes M
AM
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40503, USA. amannus@uky.edu
Smith
Gregory T
GT
Masters
Katie
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D003469:Culture; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*