Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2004

Keywords

Anti-fat attitude, Implicit attitudes, Explicit attitudes, Obese people

Abstract

The current study observed how social information regarding obese people affects individuals’ implicit and explicit attitudes toward the obese. The effect of experimenter appearance on implicit and explicit attitudes was also addressed. Social information was provided in the form of mock editorials relating to lawsuits taking place in New York suggesting the fast food industry is partially responsible for rising obesity rates in the United States. Implicit attitudes were measured using the Implicit Association Test (Greenwald, McGhee & Schwartz, 1998). Explicit attitudes were measured using the Crandall Anti-fat Attitudes Scale (Crandall, 1994); explicit attitudes were compared from pretest to post-test. All participants had markedly negative implicit attitudes toward obese and overweight people while explicit attitudes were more positive at post-test. Participants who read articles in support of the fast food lawsuits showed the least amount of explicit change in anti-fat attitude. Implicit attitudes showed no differences as a function of what type of mock editorial they read. There was no evidence of social desirability in an experimenter effect. Negative attitudes toward the obese were related to internal health locus of control.

Department

Sociology

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Overweight persons--Public opinion; Discrimination against overweight persons

Genre/Form

student projects; term papers

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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