Memory bias for fatness stimuli in the eating disorders

This investigation studied the presence of a memory bias for words connoting fatness in persons diagnosed with an eating disorder Eating disorder subjects were compared to a nonsymptomatic control group and to a symptomatic (weight-preoccupied) control group. A memory bias for fatness words in earing disorder patients was found. There was no evidence for a memory bias in either group of control subjects, i.e., those who were preoccupied with body size and shape nor those without extreme preoccupation. The three groups did not differ in the recall of nonfat or neutral words. These results were interpreted as evidence in support of the hypothesis that activating self-schemata in earing disorder patients results in a recall bias for fat-related stimuli.