Accuracy in the estimation of body weight: An alternate test of the motivated-distortion hypothesis

Abstract

Objective: Inaccuracies in self-reported weight are believed to represent a motivated distortion, but cognitive or perceptual biases have not been excluded. We examined the ability of participants to estimate the weight of a target person as a means of distinguishing between motivated distortions and perceptual biases. Method: Participants (restrained eaters and unrestrained eaters; women and men) estimated the weight of a target individual, which was compared with the actual weight of the target individual. Results: Restrained and unrestrained eaters did not differ in their estimates of the target's weight, and men under-estimated the target's weight to a greater extent than did women. Discussion: The pattern of inaccuracies observed does not parallel those found in research on self-reported weight. This observation suggests that perceptual biases do not explain inaccuracies in self-reported weight and that such inaccuracies may be the result of motivated distortions. Issues regarding data analysis and presentation are also discussed. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.