von Ranson, KristinTobin, Leah2015-09-282015-11-202015-09-282015Tobin, L. (2015). Women's Attention as a Function of Body Dissatisfaction and Images of Thin Models: An Eye-Tracking Study (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28720http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2510To gain insight into cognitive underpinnings of body dissatisfaction, we compared attentional biases in body-dissatisfied and body-satisfied women, as well as the influence of thin media images on attention. Women (42 body-dissatisfied and 40 body-satisfied) completed a paradigm measuring attention to fat- and thin-related words via eye gaze, both before and after exposure to images of thin models. Participants self-reported on height, weight, and body dissatisfaction. Body-dissatisfied women paid more attention to weight words (both fat and thin) than body-satisfied women. Exposure to thin model images did not affect attention to weight words. Body mass index was related to attention to fat words only prior to image exposure. Our findings suggest that body-dissatisfied women display an attentional bias to weight words but not in the direction predicted by the cognitive model of eating disorders, and that brief exposures to models do not affect the attentional biases.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Psychology--ClinicalBody ImageAttentional BiasThin Mediamaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/28720