title: Evaluative conditioning makes slim models less desirable as standards for comparison and increases body satisfaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present research tested whether an evaluative conditioning intervention makes thin-ideal models less enviable as standards for appearance-based social comparisons (Study 1), and increases body satisfaction (Study 2).
  
  
  METHODS
  Female participants were randomly assigned to intervention versus control conditions in both studies (ns = 66 and 39). Intervention participants learned to associate thin-ideal models with synonyms of fake whereas control participants completed an equivalent task that did not involve learning this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  The dependent variable in Study 1 was an implicit measure of idealization of slim models assessed via a modified Implicit Association Test (IAT). Study 2 used a validated, self-report measure of body satisfaction as the outcome variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intervention participants showed significantly less implicit idealization of slim models on the IAT compared to controls (Study 1). In Study 2, participants who undertook the intervention exhibited an increase in body satisfaction scores whereas no such increase was observed for control participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present research indicates that it is possible to overcome the characteristic impact of thin-ideal models on women's judgments of their bodies. An evaluative conditioning intervention made it less likely that slim models were perceived as targets to be emulated, and enhanced body satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. c.martijn@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: Carolien
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martijn
authors.forename: Paschal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sheeran
authors.forename: Laura W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Wesseldijk
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Merrick
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roefs
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012938:Social Perception; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*