Virtual Reality Lab - Universitat de Barcelona

Body Dissatisfaction and Obsession with Slimness are highly relevant factors in eating disorders and may influence attention to weight-related areas. The aim of this research is to analyse the possible effect of these factors on visual behaviour when the participant faces an avatar with his or her own Body Mass Index and others with altered BMIs, using virtual reality and eye-tracking devices.

A sample of 44 participants were exposed to a total of three virtual avatars generated by Virtual Reality (one with the BMI itself, one with an increased BMI and the other with a decreased BMI, the order of the latter two being randomized in order to check whether there are significant order effects) and then analyze their visual behavior using Eye Tracking.

Through a mixed 2x3 ANOVA it has been observed that there are no statistically significant interactions between the levels of Body Dissatisfaction and Obsession with Thinness and the experimental conditions or virtual avatars used for visual behavior effects (valued based on the Total Time of Fixations and the Number of Fixations with respect to body areas linked to weight), although the type of avatar presents per sé effects on visual attention.

Although they do not reach statistical significance, there are tendencies that the higher the level of Corporal Dissatisfaction and Obsession with Thinness, the greater the attentional bias towards areas related to weight, especially in the condition of BMI increase.