Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anthropology and Social Inquiry, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [287]-309).

Thesis (MS)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2008. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Wesley Lynch. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-54).

Classificationo f individualsa s high and low restrainede aters, accordingt o their relative score on one of the several restraint assessment questionnaires currently in use, has been shown to predicta n anomalouse ating pattern,r eferredt o as counter-regulationo r disinhibition which, appears to be cognitively controlled. Two main sources of cognitive bias which may characterize dietary restraint In female college students have been investigated in this thesis; attentional and memory biases for foodrelated Information. Experiments I-VI assessed selective attention for food-related words. Median split of subjects on scores from a restraint assessment scale yielded contradictory results. When Middle scorers on the restraint assessment scale were excluded from the analyses, It became clear that aftentional biases for food information do not characterize dietary restraint In female college students. Experiment VI replicated this finding In an adolescent population of school girls. However in Experiment III, after consumption of a sweet drink (either high or low calorie), significant Interference effects in colour-narrdng sweet food words emerged for both the high and low restraint groups. The second series of studies examined memory biases for names of foods which are generally considered to be lorbidden' to dieters but which they may still crave. Heightened recall of 'forbidden'f ood words by the high restrainersw as Indicatedi n both ExperimentsV and VI. The dependence of this memory bias upon the subjects knowing that the experiment is concerned With food and eating style was examined in Experiment Vill and the differential effect emerged in both unprimed and primed recall sessions. it was not found In Experiment VII In which subjectsw ere na7ve.T he final study examinedt he effect of self- versus other- referencing during encoding on recall of 'forbidden'and 'healthy'food names by high and low restralners. The experimentsa re discussedi n terms of schematicp rocessingo f emotionally-relevant Information with reference to Beck's Schema Theory of negative affect (1976, Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. Int. Uni. Press: NY) and Williams, Watts, MacLeod, & Mathews's model of biased Information processing in emotional disorders (1988, Cognitive Psychology and Ernotional Disorders. Wiley: Chichester). It Is concluded that dietary restraint may be characterized by a memory bias for food names which dieters attempt to avoid. These biases, although statistically significant, were not substantial. it is suggested that future research takes into account the possibility that distinct categories exist within high restraint groups.

No description available.

Background The Ravello Profile is a battery of standardised neuropsychological measures of areas of functioning that evidence indicates are impaired in Anorexia Nervosa (AN), namely visuo-spatial functioning, central coherence and executive functioning. The neuropsychological profile of individuals with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is less well established. The current study aimed to examine differences in cognitive performance between people with BN, AN and non-eating disordered controls on the Ravello Profile. Methods The AN group (N=60) comprised participants from an existing database (Frampton et al. 2009). The BN group (N=22) largely comprised participants from NHS adult out-patient services. The non-eating disordered control group (N=20) comprised of colleagues and acquaintances of the researcher. Differences between AN, BN and control samples on visuo-spatial functioning, central coherence, executive functioning and error rates were examined. Results The AN group performed significantly worse than the BN group on a measure of central coherence and on some measures of executive function, but the BN group did not perform worse than the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups on three measures of visuo-spatial functioning. However, the AN group was significantly slower than both the BN and control group to copy the figure. The results showed some evidence of increased error rates in BN relative to AN, which may reflect greater impulsivity in BN. Conclusions The results indicate separate patterns of neuropsychological performance between AN, BN and controls, with AN demonstrating poorer performance on measures of executive function and central coherence, whilst BN participants showed higher rates of errors. The BN group were also generally faster to complete some tasks, indicative of a preference for speed over accuracy or impulsivity. Those working with individuals with AN or BN should take into consideration possible effects of their respective cognitive limitations and adapt interventions accordingly.

Anorexia nervosa is recognised as a complex and chronic disorder that is often associated with poor prognosis and severe psychological and physiological consequences. Previous research has identified an array of factors associated with anorexia nervosa of which self-esteem, self-concept and body image are amongst the most commonly cited factors involved in the development and maintenance of the disorder. Capitalising on recent advances that have been made in other realms of psychology, the current study attempts to address current limitations regarding self-esteem, self-concept, body image and experiences of adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa. More specifically, a series of three studies were designed to address : a/ self-esteem and self-concept ; b/ body image and the association between body image and self-concept; and c/ the experiences and support needs of young people with eating disorders.The current findings have demonstrated that whilst quantitative methods can be effectively utilised to elucidate various relations between predictor and outcome variables, qualitative methods can offer important insight into the patient with the eating disorder On a more general level, the current results obtained from the current series of studies may be able to inform current conceptualisations of anorexia nervosa and the future development of aetiology and treatment programs. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Recently researchers have begun investigating the impact of eating disorders on quality of life (QOL). The present study examines the impact of eating disorder psychopathology on QOL within a non-clinical sample. Two hundred and fourteen women completed questionnaires assessing eating disorder symptoms, body dissatisfaction, body checking and body avoidance behaviours and general psychopathology. The results indicated that eating disturbance and body image dissatisfaction were associated with a poorer QOL. In addition, eating disorder psychopathology uniquely predicted QOL above and beyond the variance accounted for by general psychopathology. These results indicate that eating disorder psychopathology is negatively impacting on the lives of women within the community. The results imply that early intervention and detection could reduce the negative impact of eating disorder psychopathology in women's lives and protect individuals with mild eating disorder symptoms from a further reduction in their QOL.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-101). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR19719

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-65). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [59-68).