Type of Document	Thesis
Author	Fink, Erin L.
Author's Email Address	fink@psy.fsu.edu
URN	etd-03082010-164631
Title	Thinking About Being Thin: Need for Cognition Predicts Internalization of the Thin Ideal
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Psychology, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Thomas E. Joiner Committee Chair E. Ashby Plant Committee Member Joyce Carbonell Committee Member
Keywords	Need for Cognition Internalization Eating Disorders
Date of Defense	2010-01-07
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Eating disorders are particularly intractable psychological disorders that are proposed to result from a combination of genetic and sociocultural factors. Within the sociocultural model, internalization of the thin-ideal that is promoted by media sources has been found to exhibit a significant relationship with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors. However, there is a dearth of research on the mechanisms responsible for thin-ideal internalization in individuals. The present paper explored the hypothesis that individual differences in need for cognition may predict internalization of the thin-ideal, and that this relationship may be more pronounced for those individuals who are exposed to media messages more frequently. A series of linear regressions was used to explore the above hypotheses. The first hypothesis was supported, as need for cognition significantly predicted thin-ideal internalization, such that higher scores on need for cognition predicted lower internalization and vice versa. However, the second hypothesis was not supported, as media exposure did not serve as a moderator of the above relationship. Implications of the observed main effect are discussed.
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