کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
910423 | 917462 | 2011 | 7 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |

Covariation bias refers to the phenomenon of overestimating the contingency between certain stimuli and negative outcomes, which is considered as a heuristic playing a role in the maintenance of certain types of psychopathology. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate covariation bias within the context of eating pathology. In a sample of 61 female undergraduates, a priori and a posteriori contingencies were measured between pictures of obese and slim bodies, on the one hand, and fear- or disgust-relevant outcomes, on the other hand. Results indicated that participants in general displayed an a priori and an a posteriori covariation bias reflecting an overestimation of the link between obese bodies and disgust-relevant outcomes. However, this bias was not related to eating disorder symptomatology. Meanwhile, eating pathology was positively associated with a priori covariation biases referring to the associations between obese bodies and fear-relevant outcomes, and between slim bodies and disgust-relevant outcomes. All in all, these findings suggest that covariation bias plays a role in eating pathology.
Research highlights
► Young women associate obese bodies with disgust.
► Eating pathology seems related to an association between obese bodies and fear.
► Covariation bias plays a role in eating pathology.
Journal: Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry - Volume 42, Issue 1, March 2011, Pages 19–25