Validity of Word Lists for Assessing Attentional Biases Involving Appearance: A Semantic Differential Approach

We aimed to validate word lists developed by Tabri and Palmer (2020) for use in attentional bias research on appearance-related concerns. Three lists contained appearance words (attractiveness, stigmatized appearance, general appearance), and three contained non-appearance words (positive emotion, negative emotion, inanimate objects). Although matched on lexical criteria, their perceived meanings had not been assessed. Using a semantic differential approach, we examined perceptions of evaluation, potency, activity, and threat, and explored associations with eating disorder psychopathology. Participants from the community (Study 1: N = 299; Study 2: N = 311) rated attractiveness and positive emotion words as similarly positive, and stigmatized appearance and negative emotion words as similarly negative. General appearance and inanimate object words were rated as neutral. Differences reflected intensity, not type. Appearance word ratings were modestly associated with appearance overvaluation, body dissatisfaction, and weight stigma. Associations for non-appearance words were weaker and inconsistent. These findings support the semantic validity of the word lists and their utility in attentional bias research on eating disorders and other conditions involving appearance concerns.