P2B: Obesity (Becker)
Below you will see a sample response to a question on Paper 2, Section B. This question will always ask you to evaluate a study using two or more of four to six concepts. This sample only allows you to choose from three: bias, causality, and change.
It is best if you attempt to mark the question yourself before reading the “Examiner's notes” at the bottom of the page.
The study: Becker (1995)
Becker wanted to study whether the introduction of television would lead to an increase in disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among Fijian adolescent girls in two secondary schools in Nadroga, a district just outside the capital city of Nadi. Fijian culture focuses on having a large appetite; a larger body mass is not seen as unattractive, but rather, desirable. Up until this study, there had been only one reported case of anorexia in the islands of Fiji.
The study was prospective; the behaviors of the participants were measured before the introduction of television into their culture. The study was also a natural experiment. The introduction of television was not an independent variable manipulated by the researcher; instead, the researcher took advantage of something happening in Fiji. Two samples of Fijian schoolgirls (a total of 63 participants) were studied. The first group was in 1995, only a few weeks after television was introduced. The second group was tested in 1998, three years later. The study focused on girls between the ages of 16 and 18.
In 1995, the girls were given the EAT-26, a standardized test that is often used to determine eating attitudes in Western cultures. Since all participants spoke fluent English, the test did not need to be translated into the local language. Semi-structured interviews were also used to confirm the test results if there was evidence of binging and/or purging behaviors. Weight and height were also measured.
The 1998 sample also took the EAT-26 test with the follow-up interview, but they were also given additional questions with regard to dieting practice, body image, and differences in generational values.
The researchers found that there was a significant difference in the EAT-26 scores of the two groups. The 1995 cohort had an average score of 12.7% whereas the 1998 group had an average score of 29.2%. In 1995, dieting was rare in Fiji. By 1998, 69% of the participants reported that they had dieted to lose weight. 74% felt that they were “too big or fat”. 77% reported that television had made them think differently about their body shape; 40% felt that weight loss would improve their job prospects; 31% felt that their parents’ generation wanted them to consume too much food.
The interviews revealed that participants admired television personalities and wanted to alter their looks to be more similar to them.
Question: Discuss the study by Becker et al. (1995) with regard to bias, causality, and/or change.
Student response
Becker et al. investigated whether the introduction of television in Fiji was linked to an increase in disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among teenage girls. Traditionally, Fijian culture valued larger body sizes and having a healthy appetite. However, television exposed girls to Western beauty standards, where being thin was often seen as attractive. The study can be discussed in relation to three important concepts in psychology: bias, causality, and change.
Bias is when something influences how research is carried out or interpreted, which may affect the accuracy of the findings. One possible source of bias in Becker's study was the use of the EAT-26, a questionnaire developed in Western cultures to measure eating attitudes. Although all the girls spoke English, they may not have understood the questions in the same way as Western participants. For example, attitudes toward food and body size may have different meanings in Fijian culture. This means that the questionnaire may not have been equally valid in both cultures.
However, Becker also used semi-structured interviews to find out more about the girls' eating behaviors and attitudes. This is an example of method triangulation. These interviews helped researchers understand the reasons behind their answers. For example, some girls said they admired television personalities and wanted to look more like them. This helped support the findings from the questionnaire.
Another possible bias was the sample. The study only included 63 girls from two secondary schools in one district of Fiji. Their experiences may not represent girls from other parts of Fiji, younger girls, or boys. Therefore, the findings cannot necessarily be generalized to the whole Fijian population.
Causality refers to whether one variable directly causes a change in another variable. Becker wanted to investigate whether the introduction of television caused an increase in disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. The study was a natural experiment because television was introduced into Fiji without the researcher controlling it. This allowed Becker to compare girls in 1995, shortly after television was introduced, with girls in 1998, three years later.
The findings suggest that television may have influenced the girls' body image and eating behaviors. The interviews also supported this because some girls said they wanted to lose weight to look more like television personalities. However, the study cannot prove that television caused these changes. Since this was a natural experiment, Becker could not control other variables that might have influenced the results. For example, Fiji was becoming more exposed to Western culture through globalization.
Another limitation is that the girls tested in 1995 were not the same girls tested in 1998. This means that Becker could compare the two groups but could not show that individual girls changed their attitudes after watching television.
Change refers to how people's attitudes and behaviors develop or change over time. Becker's study shows how cultural influences may lead to changes in the way people think about their bodies. Traditionally, larger body sizes were considered attractive in Fiji. However, television introduced different beauty standards, which may have influenced how teenage girls viewed themselves. By 1998, 74% of the girls said they felt too big or fat, while 40% believed losing weight would improve their chances of getting a job. These findings suggest that attitudes toward body size were changing.
However, one limitation of the study is that Becker used two cross-sectional data collections rather than a longitudinal design. Different groups of girls were studied in 1995 and 1998, meaning that the researchers could compare attitudes at two points in time but could not measure how individual girls' attitudes had changed. It is possible that differences between the two groups, rather than television exposure, contributed to the findings. A longitudinal study following the same girls over time would have provided stronger evidence of how their eating attitudes changed following the introduction of television.
Becker's study suggests that television may have contributed to changing eating attitudes among Fijian teenage girls. Although possible cultural bias and the limitations of the natural experiment mean that causality cannot be established, the findings show how exposure to different cultural values may influence people's attitudes and behaviors.
683 words
Examiner feedback
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Conceptual understanding: The response demonstrates very good understanding of all three concepts: bias, causality, and change. Each concept is clearly explained and appropriately applied to Becker's research. The discussion demonstrates an understanding of how cultural influences may affect eating attitudes, the difficulties of establishing causality in natural experiments, and how attitudes and behaviors may change over time. The distinction between changes in the two groups and changes within individual participants is particularly effective (13 - 15).
Critical analysis: The response demonstrates relevant critical analysis, but the arguments are not consistently well-developed. Methodological limitations are identified and linked to the study, but their implications for interpreting the findings could be explored further.
For example, the response recognizes that globalization may have influenced eating attitudes. However, it does not fully explain how these factors might provide alternative explanations for the findings. Developing this argument would strengthen the discussion of causality by demonstrating why the observed changes cannot confidently be attributed to television alone.
The conclusion is clear and consistent with the arguments presented (10 - 12).
Psychological terminology: The response uses relevant psychological terminology accurately and makes specific, effective references to Becker's research.
Specific research evidence is used effectively to support the discussion of each concept. For example, the finding that 74% felt too big or fat is appropriately linked to causality and change. (13 - 15)
Total: 13 marks