Attentional biases in eating disorders: a visual probe detection procedure

To investigate attentional biases for body shape and weight-related stimulus words among subjects with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and control subjects classified using a measure of dietary restraint.

A visual probe detection task was used to assess attention toward stimulus words reflecting either a thin or a large physique and positively or negatively valenced emotion words.

In comparison to controls, subjects with eating disorders detected target probes more slowly when they appeared in the same location as had stimulus words connoting a thin physique. In addition, there was a trend toward faster detection or target probes that appeared in the same location as had stimulus words connoting a large physique. Neither of these effects were observed among restrained eaters.

Our results extend prior work suggesting information-processing biases for body shape and weight-related stimuli among persons with eating disorders.