Parameters of visual processing abnormalities in adults with body image concerns

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), at the extreme end of the body image concern (BIC) spectrum, is thought to be associated with a local (detail-focussed) visual processing bias. Given that the inversion of a stimulus disrupts holistic processing and demands detail-specific attention, this perceptual bias is characterised by superior processing of such inverted stimuli. This study examined the processing bias, via a body-inversion discrimination task, of 26 participants with non-clinical, high-BIC (Dysmophic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) scores between 11–19) and 26 participants with low-BIC (DCQ scores between 0–4). This study also explored the impact of varying stimuli presentation durations and discrimination difficulties during the inversion task on visual processing. As hypothesised, compared to those with low-BIC, participants with high-BIC demonstrated superior accuracy when discriminating between images of inverted bodies, indicating a local processing bias. Also as hypothesised, this local processing bias selectively manifested only when stimuli were presented for longer durations and at higher discrimination difficulties, revealing the parameters of this, potentially conscious, processing tendency. Consistent with previous research, this study identified a local processing bias in those with high BIC, which may be a predisposing factor for developing BDD. In turn, identifying the parameters (stimulus exposure and stimulus complexity) in which the local bias manifests has implications for future interventions aiming to reverse this perceptual abnormality.