Related Experiment Videos
Selective processing of eating-, shape-, and weight-related words in persons with bulimia nervosa
M J Cooper1, P Anastasiades, C G Fairburn
1Oxford University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, United Kingdom.
Insights
People with bulimia nervosa show greater cognitive disruption on a word-color task, suggesting a specific difficulty with selective information processing related to body image concerns.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Bulimia nervosa is associated with cognitive disturbances.
- Selective information processing is a key cognitive function potentially affected in eating disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate selective information processing in individuals with bulimia nervosa using the Stroop color-naming task.
- To determine if bulimia nervosa is associated with specific cognitive deficits in information processing.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Stroop color-naming task with three card types: eating/weight/shape-related words, neutral words, and color-conflicting words.
- Compared 36 patients with bulimia nervosa to age-matched female controls.
- Measured disruption in color naming accuracy and speed.
Main Results:
- The bulimia nervosa group exhibited significantly greater disruption when naming colors of eating, weight, and shape-related words compared to controls.
- Color-conflicting cards caused similar disruption in both groups, indicating specificity of the effect.
- This suggests a heightened sensitivity to appearance-related stimuli in bulimia nervosa.
Conclusions:
- The Stroop color-naming task, particularly with appearance-related stimuli, may serve as an objective measure for cognitive disturbances in bulimia nervosa.
- Findings highlight a specific deficit in selective information processing related to body image concerns in this population.
Abstract:
The Stroop color-naming task was used to investigate selective information processing in people with bulimia nervosa. Three cards were used: a target card consisting of words related to eating, weight, and shape; a control word card; and the standard conflicting-color card. Thirty-six patients with bulimia nervosa were compared with a group of age-matched female controls. It was found that the amount of disruption caused to color naming by the target card was significantly greater in the bulimia nervosa group than in the female control group, whereas that caused by the color card was similar in the two groups. The Stroop color-naming task may be a useful objective measure of one aspect of the cognitive disturbance of patients with bulimia nervosa.