Abstract
Body size misperception is common amongst the general public and is a core component of eating disorders and related conditions. While perennial media exposure to the “thin ideal” has been blamed for this misperception, relatively little research has examined visual adaptation as a potential mechanism. We examined the extent to which the bodies of “self” and “other” are processed by common or separate mechanisms in young women. Using a contingent adaptation paradigm, experiment 1 gave participants prolonged exposure to images both of the self and of another female that had been distorted in opposite directions (e.g., expanded other/contracted self), and assessed the aftereffects using test images both of the self and other. The directions of the resulting perceptual biases were contingent on the test stimulus, establishing at least some separation between the mechanisms encoding these body types. Experiment 2 used a cross adaptation paradigm to further investigate the extent to which these mechanisms are independent. Participants were adapted either to expanded or to contracted images of their own body or that of another female. While adaptation effects were largest when adapting and testing with the same body type, confirming the separation of mechanisms reported in experiment 1, substantial misperceptions were also demonstrated for cross adaptation conditions, demonstrating a degree of overlap in the encoding of self and other. In addition, the evidence of misperception of one's own body following exposure to “thin” and to “fat” others demonstrates the viability of visual adaptation as a model of body image disturbance both for those who underestimate and those who overestimate their own size.
Highlights
The misperception of one’s own body as wider or narrower than its veridical size is a growing health concern, affecting a substantial minority of women and, increasingly, men (Mond et al, 2013; Quick et al, 2014; Griffiths et al, 2016)
Along with social pressure to be thin (Stice et al, 2003), body size misperception is often attributed to exposure to unrealistic body ideals as portrayed in the popular media, such as magazines, cinema, and TV
Explanations for the relationship between the media and body image distortions have predominantly focused on sociocognitive processes such as the role of social comparison (Wheeler and Miyake, 1992; Harrison, 2000; Barlett et al, 2008)
Summary
The misperception of one’s own body as wider or narrower than its veridical size is a growing health concern, affecting a substantial minority of women and, increasingly, men (Mond et al, 2013; Quick et al, 2014; Griffiths et al, 2016). Explanations for the relationship between the media and body image distortions have predominantly focused on sociocognitive processes such as the role of social comparison (Wheeler and Miyake, 1992; Harrison, 2000; Barlett et al, 2008) Such exposure can have negative effects on cognitive schemas concerning one’s own body (Stice et al, 1994; Groesz et al, 2001), which is thought to produce the observed changes in body satisfaction (Barlett et al, 2008; Harper and Tiggemann, 2008), perceptions of ideal body size (Stephen and Perera, 2014), and actual judgments of body size and shape itself. Little is known about the perceptual mechanisms underlying these phenomena
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
