Numerous theories propose a role for cognitive processing in disordered eating, but clinical scientists have yet to capitalize fully on the wealth of approaches developed by quantitative cognitive scientists when evaluating such theories. This article describes research that uses well-established and theoretically rich cognitive science approaches to demonstrate that women who struggle with disordered eating, relative to their peers, exhibit differential processing of other women’s emotional and weight information presented in photo stimuli. More generally, this work illustrates the portability of cognitive science approaches to the study of clinically relevant individual differences in complex, socially relevant processing.
American Psychiatric Association. (2006). Treatment of patients with eating disorders, third edition. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(Suppl. 7):4–54.
2.
CashT.F. (2002). Women’s body images. In WingoodG.M.DiClementeR.J. (Eds.), Handbook of women’s sexual and reproductive health. Issues in women health (pp. 175–194). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
3.
CrumpM.J.C.HannahS.D.AllanL.G.HordL.K. (2007). Contingency judgements on the fly. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60, 753–763.
4.
FairburnC.G.CooperZ.ShafranR. (2003). Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders: A “transdiagnostic” theory and treatment. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 509–528.
5.
FarrisC.A.VikenR.J.TreatT.A. (in press). Perceived association between diagnostic and non-diagnostic cues of women’s sexual interest: General recognition theory predictors of risk for sexual coercion. Journal of Mathematical Psychology,
6.
HohlsteinL.A.SmithG.T.AtlasJ.G. (1998). An application of expectancy theory to eating disorders: Development and validation of measures of eating and dieting expectancies. Psychological Assessment, 10, 49–58.
7.
LeeM.ShafranR. (2004). Information processing biases in eating disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 24, 215–238.
NeufeldR.W.J. (2007). Advances in clinical-cognitive science: Formal modeling and assessment of processes and symptoms. Washington, DC: APA Books.
10.
SmithG.T.SimmonsJ.R.FloryK.AnnusA.M.HillK.K. (2007). Thinness and eating expectancies predict subsequent binge-eating and purging behavior among adolescent girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116, 188–197.
11.
SmythJ.M.WonderlichS.A.HeronK.E.SliwinskiM.J.CrosbyR.D.MitchellJ.E.EngelS.G. (2007). Daily and momentary mood and stress are associated with binge eating and vomiting in bulimia nervosa patients in the natural environment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 629–638.
12.
TomarkenA.J.MinekaS.CookM. (1989). Fear-relevant selective associations and covariation bias. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98, 381–394.
13.
TreatT.A.McFallR.M.VikenR.J.KruschkeJ.K.NosofskyR.M.WangS.S. (2007). Clinical-cognitive science: Applying quantitative models of cognitive processing to examination of cognitive aspects of psychopathology. In NeufeldR.W.J. (Ed.), Advances in clinical-cognitive science: Formal modeling and assessment of processes and symptoms (pp. 179–205). Washington, DC: APA Books.
14.
TreatT.A.VikenR.J.KruschkeJ.K.McFallR.M. (in press). Role of attention, memory, and covariation-detection processes in clinically significant eating-disorder symptoms. Journal of Mathematical Psychology,
15.
VikenR.J.TreatT.A.BloomS.L.McFallR.M. (2005). Illusory correlation for body type and happiness: Covariation bias and its relationship to eating disorder symptoms. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 38, 65–72.
16.
VikenR.J.TreatT.A.NosofskyR.M.McFallR.M.PalmeriT. (2002). Bulimics and controls’ differential attention to and classification of body-size and affect stimulus information. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 598–609.
17.
VitousekK.M. (1996). The current status of cognitive-behavioral models of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In SalkovskisP.M. (Ed.), Frontiers of cognitive therapy (pp. 383–418). New York: Guilford Press.
