We Agree: Fat IS a Feminist Issue! Response to Commentators

In our review of the literature on women and weight bias (Fikkan and Rothblum 2011), we attempted to cull findings from multiple disciplines that demonstrate the impact (social, educational, and financial) of the stigma of women’s weight. We undertook this for two purposes: the first was to address a gap in the weight bias literature, which tends to make only a side note mention that fat women suffer worse penalties than do fat men; the second, to raise the point that feminist scholars, though highly attuned to pressures on women to be thin, have spent less time discussing the disparate impact for women of being fat, despite the mounting evidence of how much weight bias impacts women. We offered some of our own thoughts on the persisting neglect of this topic among feminist writers, despite previous calls to action (Rothblum 1992, 1994). Given the dearth of attention to what has become one of the most frequent types of discrimination against women (Puhl et al. 2008), we asked: “is fat a feminist issue?” We were delighted with the response from the commentators and the thoughtful exploration they devoted to our question and to this issue within feminist scholarship. Here, we briefly summarize some of the main themes identified by these writers, offer our own thoughts on these themes and repeat their call to action for further study of this important area of women’s lives.     

Socially anxious individuals lack unintentional mimicry

So far, evidence for unskilled social behavior in high socially anxious individuals (HAs) is equivocal. One reason may be that shortcomings are often not directly observable. An important shortcoming would be a lack of unintentional mimicry because it communicates sympathy and rapport with the interaction partner. Therefore, we tested whether HAs show less unintentional mimicry of others. Twenty-nine HAs and 43 low socially anxious individuals (LAs) - all female - watched a virtual man (avatar) who displayed a fixed set of head movements while giving an opinionated speech. Four raters scored whether the participants mimicked the avatar's movements within 4 s. The results indicate that HAs did indeed mimic significantly less than LAs. Lacking such pro-social behavior, HAs may indeed be evaluated as less sympathetic by others, confirming their fears of being disliked.     

Infant temperament and information processing in a visual categorization task

This study investigates the relation between temperament and information processing in 7-month-old infants. Infant temperament was assessed on multiple dimensions, using mothers' ratings on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ). Information processing was measured during a paired-comparison visual categorization task. Infants (N=50) were familiarized with five different pairs of visual stimuli from one category, followed by two test trials, each contrasting a novel familiar-category item with a novel out-of-category item (animals vs. vehicles). Drop-out rate in this task was within a normal range (21%). No differences in temperament were found between completers and non-completers, but high reactivity to novelty and low motor activity were positively correlated with the strength of infants' familiarization response. Group comparisons between infants scoring high and low on these two dimensions of temperament confirmed this general finding: infants high on distress to novelty and low on motor activity showed stronger familiarization responses. Furthermore, infants scoring low on motor activity showed a stronger categorization response than highly active infants. This study provides evidence that performance in a cognitive categorization task and dimensions of infant temperament are systematically related during the second half of the first year of life. Implications for cognitive research with infants of this age-range will be discussed.     

Receiving instrumental support at work: when help is not welcome

Although the role of social support in promoting employees' health and well-being has been studied extensively, the evidence is inconsistent, sometimes even suggesting that social support might have negative effects. The authors examined some psychological processes that might explain such effects. On the basis of the threat-to-self-esteem model, the authors tested the hypothesis that receiving imposed support elicits negative reactions, which are moderated by someone's need for support. The authors distinguished 3 different reactions: (a) self-related, (b) interaction-related, and (c) physiological. The results of an experiment with 48 temporary administrative workers generally confirmed the hypothesis. Imposed support elicited negative reactions, except when there was an unsolvable problem, but even then the effect of imposed support was not positive but neutral.     

The Apology Paradox

Some leaders and citizens think it appropriate to apologize for historical injustices like slavery or the dispossession of indigenous people. But can we sincerely say 'Sorry' for the deeds of our forebears? By making an apology we are expressing regrets for what they did: we are saying that we prefer that these deeds had not been done. However, if these deeds had not been done, history would have been different, and probably we would not exist. Since most of us are glad to be alive, it seems that our apologies must be insincere. I discuss a number of proposed solutions to this paradox.     

Pilot Trial of Acceptance-Based Behavioral Weight Loss and Neurocognition Among American Indians

Acceptance-based behavioral therapies (ABTs) for obesity may be superior to standard behavioral therapies but have not been adequately tested with American Indians (AIs). Neurocognitive function is also unexamined in relation to behavioral weight loss among AIs despite findings that neurocognition predicts outcomes in general samples, may help explain some of the benefits of ABTs, and may be relevant to marginalized groups. The primary objective of this pilot was to examine the feasibility/acceptability of ABT in an AI sample. Exploratory analyses examined the relationship between neurocognition and weight loss. Forty-eight AI adults with overweight/obesity (ages 43.3 ± 10.3 years, 85% female; baseline body mass index = 36.8 ± 4.4 kg/m²) enrolled in a 6-month open ABT weight loss trial. Feasibility indices, including screening/enrollment, session attendance, retention rates for posttreatment assessments, and program acceptability were examined. Percent weight loss (%WL) was assessed as well as fluid and crystalized neurocognition (National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery [NIHTB-CB]). We enrolled 79% of the eligible sample and retained 75% (N = 36) at posttreatment assessments. Program completers lost an average of 5.2 ± 4.9% of initial body weight (d_z = 1.14), whereas intent-to-treat analyses show a mean loss of 4.1 ± 4.7%. Participants reported high satisfaction, effectiveness, and cultural appropriateness. Exploratory analyses of neurocognitive domains suggested that crystalized cognition was higher among completers, and higher baseline cognitive flexibility predicted greater %WL (β = .34, p = .05). ABT resulted in clinically significant weight loss in an AI sample. A controlled trial of ABT in a larger, more diverse sample is warranted to determine whether (a) the findings are robust, generalizable, and/or superior to other treatments and (b) neurocognitive factors moderate outcomes.     

Microstructure and superconductivity of bulk BPSCCO/LPMO composite

Bulk superconducting (SC) ceramics containing BPSCCO and LPMO (Lanthanum/Lead – manganite phase) have been produced. The initial components were prepared by a low-temperature Pechini method. The submicron powders in weight ratio 90/10 Bi_1.6Pb_0.4Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_z/La_0.6Pb_0.4MnO₃ (nominal composition) were heat treated at 840°C. The duration of the heat treatment effect (60 and 100?h) of the composite on the transformation of the microstructure was studied. The obtained composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by the method of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). They contain several phases. It was established that the SC 2212 phase is predominate in the composite. The phase La_0.6Pb_0.4MnO₃ transforms in solid solution with preliminary composition La_0.5(Sr?+?Ca)_0.5Mn_{1? z} Cu _z O₃, which after full replacement of the La and Mn ions leads to the appearance of phases with nominal composition Sr_{1? x} Ca _x CuO _y . AC and DC magnetization measurements were used to study the SC and magnetic properties of the samples. Both samples are SC with critical temperatures 75 and 77?K, respectively. It was concluded that the SC and magnetic phases stably coexist in the composite sintered at 60?h heat treatment at 840°C.     

Psychotherapy Appointment No-Shows: Clinicians’ Approaches

Missed psychotherapy appointments and eleventh hour cancellations contribute to financial burdens, reduced scheduling efficiency, and lowered effectiveness of the therapeutic services delivered. This paper attempts to explore more specific clinical process factors related to patient no-shows. Psychotherapists and their patients in the outpatient psychiatry department of a public safety-net hospital were surveyed to examine how frequently patients missed scheduled psychotherapy appointments and for what reasons. Clinicians with the lowest rates of patient no-shows (n = 12) were asked to discuss their approaches to psychotherapy attendance and provided clinical examples. Clinicians’ responses were thematically grouped into five aspects of negotiating missed appointments and no-shows. Clinicians identified the importance of improving patient motivation, developing a positive therapeutic alliance, setting an established treatment frame, communicating about no-shows throughout the course of treatment, and maintaining their own scheduling accountability as important factors in their approaches to managing patient non-attendance.