Increasing Motivation to Reduce Restriction

Study Summary

The goal of this experiment is to learn how to effectively increase motivation to reduce dietary restriction among young adults engaging in clinically significant restrictive eating. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does imagining a future without restrictive eating increase motivation to reduce restrictive eating? * Does imagining a future without restrictive eating reduce actual restrictive eating behavior? * Is it more motivating to think about long-term benefits of reducing dietary restriction, or to focus on short-term consequences of dietary restriction? Researchers will compare (1) amplifying the possible benefits of reducing restrictive eating, (2) amplifying the negative consequences of restrictive eating, or (3) both is more effective for increasing motivation to reduce dietary restriction over a one-week period. Participants will: * Complete daily measures of eating disorder symptoms and motivation for 7 days * Write a narrative describing a day in the future without restrictive eating and read this narrative aloud daily for 7 days * Be presented with information regarding the negative consequences of dietary restriction daily for 7 days

Primary Outcome

Dietary restraint was measured using two items drawn from the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Each item was rated on a 1-6 scale ranging from 1 (Not at all/never) to 6 (Markedly/all the time). Scores on each item were averaged to create a single dietary restraint score. Changes in daily scores were used to quantify changes in dietary restraint over time.

Interventions

• OTHER Control
• OTHER Amplified Benefits
• OTHER Amplified Consequences