The measurement of body-image dissatisfaction–satisfaction: Is rating importance important?

Some researchers have argued that evaluative body image may be better assessed by measures that weight dissatisfaction–satisfaction ratings by their subjective importance to individuals. The Body Areas Satisfaction Scale (BASS) is a frequently used, standardized assessment of evaluative body image, albeit one that does not use differential item weights. This investigation, with 410 female and male college students, examined whether an importance-weighted revision of the BASS would have incremental validity relative to the original version in the prediction of multiple criterion variables. Results confirmed the reliability and validity of unweighted and weighted versions. However, the validity of weighted versions did not surpass that of the original BASS. The extremity of individuals’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction ratings appears inherently to reflect the importance placed on physical attributes for self-evaluation. Moderated regression analyses offered only weak support for the interaction of average satisfaction and average importance ratings beyond their main effects. The simpler, unweighted BASS is an acceptable assessment of evaluative body image.