---
_id: '13576'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Background\r\nMany young women are dissatisfied with their bodies. This study
    investigated the effect on current body dissatisfaction levels of a newly developed
    evaluative conditioning procedure that paired self-similar and self-dissimilar
    images of bodies with positive and neutral affective images, respectively. We
    hypothesized that learning the contingency that self-similar bodies predict positive
    affectivity is one process that could aid in explaining how these procedures function.\r\nMethods\r\nAdult
    women without disordered eating pathology participated in an online experiment
    with random assignment to an intervention or a control condition. All participants
    initially rated body images in self-similarity and were subsequently asked to
    categorize positive and neutral images by valence as quickly and accurately as
    possible. In the intervention condition, self-similar bodies systematically preceded
    positive images, and self-dissimilar images preceded neutral images, creating
    a similar body → positive contingency. Pairings in the control condition were
    unsystematic such that no contingency was present. We measured categorization
    latencies and accuracies to infer contingency learning as well as current body
    dissatisfaction immediately before and after exposure to the pairings. All participants
    further completed measures of trait body image concerns and disordered eating
    psychopathology at baseline, which we examined as moderators of an expected relation
    between condition assignment, contingency learning, and body dissatisfaction improvements.\r\nResults\r\nWe
    analyzed data from N = 173 women fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Moderated
    mediation analyses showed that assignment to the intervention (vs. control) condition
    predicted increased similar body → positive contingency learning, which in turn
    predicted improved body dissatisfaction post-intervention, but only among women
    with higher pre-existing trait body image concerns or disordered eating levels.\r\nConclusions\r\nThe
    findings point toward the relevancy of further exploring the utility of pairing
    procedures. Similar body → positive contingency learning predicted improved body
    dissatisfaction in individuals with normatively high body image concerns, which
    suggests pairing procedures could help inform future research on reducing body
    dissatisfaction."
article_number: '18'
author:
- first_name: Katharina
  full_name: Dumstorf, Katharina
  last_name: Dumstorf
- first_name: Georg
  full_name: Halbeisen, Georg
  id: '85780'
  last_name: Halbeisen
  orcid: 0000-0002-9529-2215
- first_name: Georgios
  full_name: Paslakis, Georgios
  last_name: Paslakis
citation:
  ama: 'Dumstorf K, Halbeisen G, Paslakis G. How evaluative pairings improve body
    dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from a randomized-controlled online study.
    <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i>. 2024;12(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4">10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4</a>'
  apa: 'Dumstorf, K., Halbeisen, G., &#38; Paslakis, G. (2024). How evaluative pairings
    improve body dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from a randomized-controlled
    online study. <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i>, <i>12</i>(1), Article 18. <a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4">https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4</a>'
  bjps: '<b>Dumstorf K, Halbeisen G and Paslakis G</b> (2024) How Evaluative Pairings
    Improve Body Dissatisfaction in Adult Women: Evidence from a Randomized-Controlled
    Online Study. <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i> <b>12</b>.'
  chicago: 'Dumstorf, Katharina, Georg Halbeisen, and Georgios Paslakis. “How Evaluative
    Pairings Improve Body Dissatisfaction in Adult Women: Evidence from a Randomized-Controlled
    Online Study.” <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i> 12, no. 1 (2024). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4">https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4</a>.'
  chicago-de: 'Dumstorf, Katharina, Georg Halbeisen und Georgios Paslakis. 2024. How
    evaluative pairings improve body dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from
    a randomized-controlled online study. <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i> 12, Nr.
    1. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4">10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4</a>,
    .'
  din1505-2-1: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Dumstorf, Katharina</span>
    ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Halbeisen, Georg</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Paslakis,
    Georgios</span>: How evaluative pairings improve body dissatisfaction in adult
    women: evidence from a randomized-controlled online study. In: <i>Journal of Eating
    Disorders</i> Bd. 12. London, BioMed Central (2024), Nr. 1'
  havard: 'K. Dumstorf, G. Halbeisen, G. Paslakis, How evaluative pairings improve
    body dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from a randomized-controlled online
    study, Journal of Eating Disorders. 12 (2024).'
  ieee: 'K. Dumstorf, G. Halbeisen, and G. Paslakis, “How evaluative pairings improve
    body dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from a randomized-controlled online
    study,” <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, Art. no. 18, 2024,
    doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4">10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4</a>.'
  mla: 'Dumstorf, Katharina, et al. “How Evaluative Pairings Improve Body Dissatisfaction
    in Adult Women: Evidence from a Randomized-Controlled Online Study.” <i>Journal
    of Eating Disorders</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, 18, 2024, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4">https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4</a>.'
  short: K. Dumstorf, G. Halbeisen, G. Paslakis, Journal of Eating Disorders 12 (2024).
  ufg: '<b>Dumstorf, Katharina/Halbeisen, Georg/Paslakis, Georgios</b>: How evaluative
    pairings improve body dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from a randomized-controlled
    online study, in: <i>Journal of Eating Disorders</i> 12 (2024), H. 1.'
  van: 'Dumstorf K, Halbeisen G, Paslakis G. How evaluative pairings improve body
    dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence from a randomized-controlled online study.
    Journal of Eating Disorders. 2024;12(1).'
date_created: 2026-03-25T13:36:06Z
date_updated: 2026-03-27T08:34:20Z
department:
- _id: DEP1500
doi: 10.1186/s40337-024-00975-4
external_id:
  isi:
  - '001148311200002'
  pmid:
  - '38268007'
intvolume: '        12'
isi: '1'
issue: '1'
keyword:
- Evaluative conditioning
- Body image
- Eating disorders
- Contingency learning
- Psychotherapy
- Pairing procedures
language:
- iso: eng
place: London
pmid: '1'
publication: Journal of Eating Disorders
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 2050-2974
publication_status: published
publisher: BioMed Central
quality_controlled: '1'
status: public
title: 'How evaluative pairings improve body dissatisfaction in adult women: evidence
  from a randomized-controlled online study'
type: scientific_journal_article
user_id: '83781'
volume: 12
year: '2024'
...