Guardia et al 2012

Guardia et al. 2012

"Imagining one's own and someone else's body actions: Dissociation in anorexia nervosa" Contemporary study for clinical psychology  Related to AN 

Aim

The aim was to continue previous research by the same team that had found that patients with AN found it difficult to gauge their own body size and misjudged their ability to fit through a door frame that was clearly big enough for them Study was designed to test phenomenon further by considering whether this perceptual problem existed beyond the individual to other people 

Procedure

25 females with an eating disorder in France were the ppts, all of whom met the DSM IV criteria for AN.  Also had 25 healthy, matched female controls.  All 50 were students. Door frame was projected onto a wall. Various sizes used.  For each door (saw 51 widths from 30cm-80cm 4 times) they said whether or not they believed they could fit through (normal speed, front on).  Next, ppts were asked whether they believed the female researcher in room could fit through

Results

Patients with AN showed significant overestimation of their own body size - thought they wouldn't be able to fit through in general. Patients with AN judged whether the researcher could fit through mostly accurately Control group - no difference in perception between judging themselves and judging the researcher Correlation between "passibility" judgements made by AN group and their pre-illness weight or sizeThe lower the BMI of the AN ppt, the less likely they are to think they can fit through the doorsAlso - large error bars (wide range of results) 

Conclusions

Disillusioned body perception only occurs to own body - not others' Could be related to schema's and perspective judgements CNS might not have time to adjust to new body size and shape (scheme outdated)  Patients who lost weight 6 months prior to study had larger gaps in perception between own body and other's AN could be worsened by the fact that the brain still perceives the body as the pre-AN weight, meaning weight loss continues as there is no realisation 

Evaluation

StrengthsG - 50 pptsR - Backed up by previous research, repeatable, test re-testA - Applied to female AN patients, helps develop CBT or drugsV - Matched pairs, high level of control, lab, tried to reduce order effects (random order), have counterbalancing, ecological validityE - Informed consent, right to withdraw, confidentiality

WeaknessesG - Only looked at 25 people who were all pretty similarR - loads of questions - 204! should do split-half, large error bars, opportunity samplingA -  Applied to female AN patients but not othersV - AN patients only say researcher can fit through doors to be polite, artificial setting, demand characteristicsE - Distressing to ppts, long process