Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Karen A. Christoff
Second Advisor
Mervin Matthew
Third Advisor
Laura R. Johnson
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
The obesity epidemic in the United States has grown in epic proportions over past decades. People who are obese experience weight bias, which is defined as any attitude that negatively influences obese individuals. Weight bias has also been documented in many areas of life. Furthermore, cultural differences in attitudes toward weight are salient in the conceptualization and maintenance of this phenomenon. Body dissatisfaction has also been linked to excess weight through negative views of fatness. One traditional measure of body dissatisfaction is figure rating scales. For this study, it was hypothesized that figure ratings presented with pictures of obese individuals would be a novel measure of bias. Discrepancy scores from figure rating scales were highly correlated with established measures of bias. Group differences in weight bias were also examined. Significant differences in bias were observed for race and gender of the depicted obese individuals.
Recommended Citation
Magness, Joseph Mitchell, "Figure Rating Scales: A Novel Measure Of Weight Bias" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 794.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/794
Concentration/Emphasis
Emphasis: Clinical Psychology