OBJECTIVE: Inaccuracies in self-reported weight are believed to represent a motivated distortion, but cognitive or perceptual biases have not been excluded. We examined the ability of participants to estimate the weight of a target person as a means of distinguishing between motivated distortions and perceptual biases. METHOD: Participants (restrained eaters and unrestrained eaters; women and men) estimated the weight of a target individual, which was compared with the actual weight of the target individual. RESULTS: Restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their estimates of the target's weight, and men underestimated the target's weight to a greater extent than did women. DISCUSSION: The pattern of inaccuracies observed does not parallel those found in research on self-reported weight. This observation suggests that perceptual biases do not explain inaccuracies in self-reported weight and that such inaccuracies may be the result of motivated distortions. Issues regarding data analysis and presentation are also discussed. Copyright 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
OBJECTIVE: Inaccuracies in self-reported weight are believed to represent a motivated distortion, but cognitive or perceptual biases have not been excluded. We examined the ability of participants to estimate the weight of a target person as a means of distinguishing between motivated distortions and perceptual biases. METHOD:Participants (restrained eaters and unrestrained eaters; women and men) estimated the weight of a target individual, which was compared with the actual weight of the target individual. RESULTS: Restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their estimates of the target's weight, and men underestimated the target's weight to a greater extent than did women. DISCUSSION: The pattern of inaccuracies observed does not parallel those found in research on self-reported weight. This observation suggests that perceptual biases do not explain inaccuracies in self-reported weight and that such inaccuracies may be the result of motivated distortions. Issues regarding data analysis and presentation are also discussed. Copyright 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Authors: David A Cole; Sun-Joo Cho; Nina C Martin; Eric A Youngstrom; John S March; Robert L Findling; Bruce E Compas; Ian M Goodyer; Paul Rohde; Myrna Weissman; Marilyn J Essex; Janet S Hyde; John F Curry; Rex Forehand; Marcia J Slattery; Julia W Felton; Melissa A Maxwell Journal: J Abnorm Psychol Date: 2012-06-11
Authors: Dewi Guardia; Léa Conversy; Renaud Jardri; Gilles Lafargue; Pierre Thomas; Vincent Dodin; Olivier Cottencin; Marion Luyat Journal: PLoS One Date: 2012-08-22 Impact factor: 3.240