Validation of a test meal paradigm to experimentally manipulate meal-related fears: A registered report

Fear is central to conceptualizations of weight and shape-focused eating disorders. The current study will examine the reliability and validity of a test meal paradigm that varies perceptions of fat content to manipulate fear. Undergraduate women with elevated eating pathology (N = 96) will be randomized to one of three test meal conditions: two “low” fat yogurts, two “high” fat yogurts, or one “high” fat and one “low” fat yogurt. In actuality, all yogurts will have the same fat content. Supporting reliability, we hypothesize that self-reported fear and electrodermal activity (psychophysiological index of fear-related arousal) will exhibit good test–retest reliability over a 48-hr period in the “high” fat/“high” fat and “low” fat/“low” fat conditions. Supporting construct validity, self-reported fear and electrodermal activity will be elevated during the “high” versus “low” fat condition and responses to the “high" fat condition will correlate with fear of food, eating, and weight gain. Supporting discriminant validity, self-reported disgust and anger will be comparable in the “high” and “low” fat conditions and will exhibit weak correlations with trait measures of disgust and anger. This experimental paradigm will allow researchers to manipulate fear in order understand the mechanisms by which fear maintains eating pathology.