Date of Submission

Spring 2017

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Psychology

Project Advisor 1

Justin Hulbert, PhD

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Obesity has been linked with a myriad of negative outcomes for both physical and mental health including feeding and eating disorders and cognitive impairments that affect perception of body size. Understanding the cognitive mechanisms and physiological factors that contribute to perception of body size may help us to comprehend how obesity impacts the construction and development of one’s mental body representations. Previous research by Scarpina, Castelnuovo, and Molinari (2014) suggests that, compared to those with a normal Body Mass Index, individuals with a BMI greater than 30 (obese) not only inaccurately estimate tactile and mental distances on their own bodies, they also significantly overestimate these distances. While BMI has been shown to be useful in predicting obesity, it fails to measure adiposity, or body fat. This proposed research project seeks to extend upon this past work by examining the independent effects of adiposity and high BMI on body size perception. I hypothesize that, compared to individuals with 30

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