Neuropsychological profile in the overweight population: an exploratory study of set-shifting and central coherence

摘要

Biases in information processing styles, as measured by neuropsychological tasks, havenbeen reported in the eating disorder literature. In particular, an inflexible, rigid processingnstyle (poor set-shifting) and a bias toward detail to the exclusion of the bigger picturen(weak central coherence) have been observed. This report investigates these traits in thenoverweight population, by comparing the neuropsychological profile of 50 normal-weightnand ten overweight members of the general population. Small-to-negligible effect sizesnare seen for the set-shifting tasks; however, a mixed profile with moderate-to-strong effectnsizes is seen for tasks measuring detail focus. This exploratory study provides an intriguingnintroduction to neuropsychological profiles in the overweight population. Furthernexploration of these traits within the overweight/obese population is recommended.