Martin J Tovée
Biographic Data
| ID | 3600674 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Martin J Tovée |
| GIVEN NAMES | Martin J |
| FAMILY NAME | Tovée |
| SIGNATURE | TOVÉE M J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Newcastle University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9642-4462 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 98 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 34 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Can Adults Accurately Judge Child Weight Status
There is a disconnect between the child size that people perceive to correspond to the different weight categories and the size criteria used by health professionals, and it is likely that this gap can only be bridged by training to recognise the medically based categories
The MapMe Body Scales
Overall, the MapMe child body size scales provide an anthropometrically accurate, valid, reliable, and usable tool for size-related tasks and communication with adults regarding child weight
Adaptation and Validation of the MapMe Body Image Scales in Spanish Parents of Schoolchildren
Childhood overweight and obesity is a worldwide problem and to treat it parents' detection has to be improved. The MapMe Body Image Scales (BIS) are a visual tool developed to improve parental perception of child weight in the United Kingdon (UK) based on British growth reference criteria. The aim of this study was to make a transcultural adaptation and validation of the MapMe BIS in Spain based on International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut offs…
Cultural Predictors of Facial Ethnicity Preference in the Miskitu and Mestizos of Rural Nicaragua
Both basic visual experience and cultural associations with race and ethnicity may contribute to the extent observers do or do not favor some facial ethnicity cues over others. Given that visual media contain a highly biased selection of faces, with Whiteness both over-represented and strongly privileged in film and television, communities for whom visual media are relatively novel may experience an additional, pervasive source of attitudes to fa…
A Randomised Control Trial Investigating the Efficacy of the MapMe Intervention on Parental Ability to Correctly Categorise Overweight in Their Child and the Impact on Child BMI Z-Score Change at 1 Ye…
Research suggests parental ability to recognise when their child has overweight is limited. It is hypothesised that recognition of child overweight/obesity is fundamental to its prevention, acting as a potential barrier to parental action to improve their child's health-related behaviours and/or help seeking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of an intervention (MapMe) to improve parental ability to correctly categorise th…
Television consumption drives perceptions of female body attractiveness in a population undergoing technological transition
Perceptions of physical attractiveness vary across cultural groups, particularly for female body size and shape. It has been hypothesized that visual media propagates Western "thin ideals." However, because cross-cultural studies typically consider groups highly differentiated on a number of factors, identifying the causal factors has thus far been impossible. In the present research, we conducted "naturalistic" and controlled experiments to test…
How Does Variation in the Body Composition of Both Stimuli and Participant Modulate Self-Estimates of Men’s Body Size
When measured in units of body mass index (BMI), how much variation in men's self-estimates of body size is caused by i) variation in participants' body composition and ii) variation in the apparent muscle mass and muscle tone of the stimuli being judged? To address this, we generated nine sets of male CGI bodies representing low, mid, and high muscle mass rendered at low, mid, and high muscle tone, from 18.75 to 40 BMI hse units. BMI hse units i…
Investigating the link between television viewing and men's preferences for female body size and shape in rural Nicaragua
Can we believe judgements of human physical attractiveness?
Physical Attractiveness
Body Fat Percent and Distribution
Television exposure predicts body size ideals in rural Nicaragua
Internalization of a thin ideal has been posited as a key risk factor in the development of pathological eating attitudes. Cross-culturally, studies have found a preference for heavier bodies in populations with reduced access to visual media compared to Western populations. As yet, however, there has been little attempt to control for confounding variables in order to isolate the effects of media exposure from other cultural and ecological facto…
A cluster randomised trial testing an intervention to improve parents’ recognition of their child’s weight status
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN91136472. Registered 3 May 2013
Development of an intervention to improve parental recognition of childhood overweight
Humans are not fooled by size illusions in attractiveness judgements
Could signallers use size contrast illusions to dishonestly exaggerate their attractiveness to potential mates? Using composite photographs of women from three body mass index (BMI) categories designed to simulate small groups, we show that target women of medium size are judged as thinner when surrounded by larger women than when surrounded by thinner women. However, attractiveness judgements of the same target women were unaffected by this illu…
Men’s Oppressive Beliefs Predict Their Breast Size Preferences in Women
Perceptions of Female Body Size and Shape in China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom
Photographs of 50 women were rated for attractiveness, health, and fertility recorded by four sets of participants—Rural-Chinese ( n = 50), Chinese participants in Hong Kong ( n = 50), Chinese participants living in the United Kingdom ( n = 50), and participants self-identifying as “Caucasian” living in the United Kingdom. The results suggest that a polynomial function of Body Mass Index (kg/m 2 ) is the best predictor of all three judgments in a…
Categorical perception of human female physical attractiveness and health
An examination of ethnic differences in actual-ideal weight discrepancy and its correlates in a sample of Malaysian women
The present study examined ethnic differences in actual-ideal body weight discrepancy and its correlates among a sample of Malaysian adult women. A total of 459 Malays, 307 Chinese and 150 Indians from Kuala Lumpur completed measures of their actual-ideal body weight discrepancy, sociocultural messages about appearance, self-reported body mass index (BMI) and demographics. Results showed that Chinese women had smaller actual-ideal body weight dis…
Differences in eye-movement patterns between anorexic and control observers when judging body size and attractiveness
Attentional biases may influence the eye-movements made when judging bodies and so alter the visual information sampled when making a judgment. This may lead to an overestimation of body size. We measured the eye-movements made by 16 anorexic observers and 16 age-matched controls when judging body size and attractiveness. We combined behavioural data with a novel eye-movement analysis technique that allowed us to apply spatial statistical techniq…
A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Men's Judgments of Female Body Weight in Britain and Indonesia
Forty-seven men in Bali, Lombok, and Britain, respectively, were asked to rate a series of female images varying in body size for attractiveness. Between-group analyses indicated that participants in Lombok rated a heavier female figure as attractive compared with participants in Bali and Britain. In addition, participants in Bali and Lombok rated a wider range of figures as attractive compared with Britons. Results are discussed in relation to t…
Patterns of eye movements when male and female observers judge female attractiveness, body fat and waist-to-hip ratio
Big Beautiful Women
This study examined the body size ideals of a group of male fat admirers (FAs) in comparison with an age-and body mass index (BMI)-matched control sample. Forty-seven men, who were involved in the fat acceptance community, and 64 control individuals rated a series of 10 images of women that varied in BM1 from emaciated to obese. As expected, the results showed that FAs rated a significantly higher BMI as the most physically attractive compared wi…
Preferences for body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio do not vary with observer age
Several studies have suggested that mate selection strategies alter with age, but the mechanism of this shift in mate strategy is unclear. Two possibilities suggest themselves. The first is that attractiveness preferences themselves alter, compensating for the changing mate value of the observer. Alternatively, the preferences may remain constant with observer age, but an individual may compensate for changes in their own relative attractiveness …
Color 3D bodies and judgements of human female attractiveness
Female and male perceptions of female physical attractiveness in front-view and profile
Two important cues to female physical attractiveness are body mass index (BMI) and shape. In front view, it seems that BMI may be more important than shape; however, is it true in profile where shape cues may be stronger? There is also the question of whether men and women have the same perception of female physical attractiveness. Some studies have suggested that they do not, but this runs contrary to mate selection theory. This predicts that wo…
A Critical Test of the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Hypothesis of Women's Physical Attractiveness in Britain and Greece
The Influence of Body Mass Index on the Physical Attractiveness Preferences of Feminist and Nonfeminist Heterosexual Women and Lesbians
The present study examined associations between lesbian and feminist identity and predictors of female physical attractiveness. Seventy-two nonfeminist heterosexuals, 38 feminist heterosexuals, 75 nonfeminist lesbians, and 33 feminist lesbians were asked to rate according to physical attractiveness a set of images of real women with known body mass indexes (BMIs). The results showed that regardless of sexual orientation and feminist ascription, B…
Big Beautiful Women
This study examined the body size ideals of a group of male fat admirers (FAs) in comparison with an age-and body mass index (BMI)-matched control sample. Forty-seven men, who were involved in the fat acceptance community, and 64 control individuals rated a series of 10 images of women that varied in BM1 from emaciated to obese. As expected, the results showed that FAs rated a significantly higher BMI as the most physically attractive compared wi…
Does hunger influence judgments of female physical attractiveness
To account for male preferences for female body weight following a consistent socio-economic pattern, Nelson and Morrison (2005) proposed a social-cognitive model based on the individual experience of resource scarcity. We replicated their studies showing that calorific dissatisfaction can influence preference for female body weight using a different dependent variable, namely photographic stimuli of women with known body weight and shape. Using …
Differences in attractiveness preferences between observers in low- and high-resource environments in Thailand
It has been suggested that certain physical cues can be used to predict mate quality, and that sensitivity to these cues would therefore be adaptive. It follows that in environments where the optimal values for these features differ, attractiveness preferences should also be different. In this study, we show that there are striking differences in attractiveness preferences for female bodies between Thai observers in affluent, industrialised envir…
Television exposure predicts body size ideals in rural Nicaragua
Internalization of a thin ideal has been posited as a key risk factor in the development of pathological eating attitudes. Cross-culturally, studies have found a preference for heavier bodies in populations with reduced access to visual media compared to Western populations. As yet, however, there has been little attempt to control for confounding variables in order to isolate the effects of media exposure from other cultural and ecological facto…
Men’s Oppressive Beliefs Predict Their Breast Size Preferences in Women
Measurement of body size and shape perception in eating-disordered and control observers using body-shape software
A disturbance in the perception of personal body size and shape is a key feature of both anorexia and bulimia nervosa, but it has proved difficult to quantify. Previous attempts have used methods like the distorting video technique (DVT), which alters an image by stretching the figure in either the X- or Y-axis. This is a poor representation of the way fat is added to or lost from the body, and the pattern of distortion provides a host of cues to…
Preferences for body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio do not vary with observer age
Several studies have suggested that mate selection strategies alter with age, but the mechanism of this shift in mate strategy is unclear. Two possibilities suggest themselves. The first is that attractiveness preferences themselves alter, compensating for the changing mate value of the observer. Alternatively, the preferences may remain constant with observer age, but an individual may compensate for changes in their own relative attractiveness …
Television consumption drives perceptions of female body attractiveness in a population undergoing technological transition
Perceptions of physical attractiveness vary across cultural groups, particularly for female body size and shape. It has been hypothesized that visual media propagates Western "thin ideals." However, because cross-cultural studies typically consider groups highly differentiated on a number of factors, identifying the causal factors has thus far been impossible. In the present research, we conducted "naturalistic" and controlled experiments to test…
Perceptions of Female Body Size and Shape in China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom
Photographs of 50 women were rated for attractiveness, health, and fertility recorded by four sets of participants—Rural-Chinese ( n = 50), Chinese participants in Hong Kong ( n = 50), Chinese participants living in the United Kingdom ( n = 50), and participants self-identifying as “Caucasian” living in the United Kingdom. The results suggest that a polynomial function of Body Mass Index (kg/m 2 ) is the best predictor of all three judgments in a…
A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Men's Judgments of Female Body Weight in Britain and Indonesia
Forty-seven men in Bali, Lombok, and Britain, respectively, were asked to rate a series of female images varying in body size for attractiveness. Between-group analyses indicated that participants in Lombok rated a heavier female figure as attractive compared with participants in Bali and Britain. In addition, participants in Bali and Lombok rated a wider range of figures as attractive compared with Britons. Results are discussed in relation to t…
Is symmetry a visual cue to attractiveness in the human female body?
Female and male perceptions of female physical attractiveness in front-view and profile
Two important cues to female physical attractiveness are body mass index (BMI) and shape. In front view, it seems that BMI may be more important than shape; however, is it true in profile where shape cues may be stronger? There is also the question of whether men and women have the same perception of female physical attractiveness. Some studies have suggested that they do not, but this runs contrary to mate selection theory. This predicts that wo…
Measurement of body size and shape perception in eating-disordered and control observers using body-shape software
A disturbance in the perception of personal body size and shape is a key feature of both anorexia and bulimia nervosa, but it has proved difficult to quantify. Previous attempts have used methods like the distorting video technique (DVT), which alters an image by stretching the figure in either the X- or Y-axis. This is a poor representation of the way fat is added to or lost from the body, and the pattern of distortion provides a host of cues to…
Female physical attractiveness in Britain and Malaysia
Changing perceptions of attractiveness as observers are exposed to a different culture☆
The Influence of Body Mass Index on the Physical Attractiveness Preferences of Feminist and Nonfeminist Heterosexual Women and Lesbians
The present study examined associations between lesbian and feminist identity and predictors of female physical attractiveness. Seventy-two nonfeminist heterosexuals, 38 feminist heterosexuals, 75 nonfeminist lesbians, and 33 feminist lesbians were asked to rate according to physical attractiveness a set of images of real women with known body mass indexes (BMIs). The results showed that regardless of sexual orientation and feminist ascription, B…
A Critical Test of the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Hypothesis of Women's Physical Attractiveness in Britain and Greece
Does hunger influence judgments of female physical attractiveness
To account for male preferences for female body weight following a consistent socio-economic pattern, Nelson and Morrison (2005) proposed a social-cognitive model based on the individual experience of resource scarcity. We replicated their studies showing that calorific dissatisfaction can influence preference for female body weight using a different dependent variable, namely photographic stimuli of women with known body weight and shape. Using …
Color 3D bodies and judgements of human female attractiveness
Differences in attractiveness preferences between observers in low- and high-resource environments in Thailand
It has been suggested that certain physical cues can be used to predict mate quality, and that sensitivity to these cues would therefore be adaptive. It follows that in environments where the optimal values for these features differ, attractiveness preferences should also be different. In this study, we show that there are striking differences in attractiveness preferences for female bodies between Thai observers in affluent, industrialised envir…
Preferences for body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio do not vary with observer age
Several studies have suggested that mate selection strategies alter with age, but the mechanism of this shift in mate strategy is unclear. Two possibilities suggest themselves. The first is that attractiveness preferences themselves alter, compensating for the changing mate value of the observer. Alternatively, the preferences may remain constant with observer age, but an individual may compensate for changes in their own relative attractiveness …
Patterns of eye movements when male and female observers judge female attractiveness, body fat and waist-to-hip ratio
Big Beautiful Women
This study examined the body size ideals of a group of male fat admirers (FAs) in comparison with an age-and body mass index (BMI)-matched control sample. Forty-seven men, who were involved in the fat acceptance community, and 64 control individuals rated a series of 10 images of women that varied in BM1 from emaciated to obese. As expected, the results showed that FAs rated a significantly higher BMI as the most physically attractive compared wi…
Differences in eye-movement patterns between anorexic and control observers when judging body size and attractiveness
Attentional biases may influence the eye-movements made when judging bodies and so alter the visual information sampled when making a judgment. This may lead to an overestimation of body size. We measured the eye-movements made by 16 anorexic observers and 16 age-matched controls when judging body size and attractiveness. We combined behavioural data with a novel eye-movement analysis technique that allowed us to apply spatial statistical techniq…
A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Men's Judgments of Female Body Weight in Britain and Indonesia
Forty-seven men in Bali, Lombok, and Britain, respectively, were asked to rate a series of female images varying in body size for attractiveness. Between-group analyses indicated that participants in Lombok rated a heavier female figure as attractive compared with participants in Bali and Britain. In addition, participants in Bali and Lombok rated a wider range of figures as attractive compared with Britons. Results are discussed in relation to t…
Categorical perception of human female physical attractiveness and health
An examination of ethnic differences in actual-ideal weight discrepancy and its correlates in a sample of Malaysian women
The present study examined ethnic differences in actual-ideal body weight discrepancy and its correlates among a sample of Malaysian adult women. A total of 459 Malays, 307 Chinese and 150 Indians from Kuala Lumpur completed measures of their actual-ideal body weight discrepancy, sociocultural messages about appearance, self-reported body mass index (BMI) and demographics. Results showed that Chinese women had smaller actual-ideal body weight dis…
Men’s Oppressive Beliefs Predict Their Breast Size Preferences in Women
Perceptions of Female Body Size and Shape in China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom
Photographs of 50 women were rated for attractiveness, health, and fertility recorded by four sets of participants—Rural-Chinese ( n = 50), Chinese participants in Hong Kong ( n = 50), Chinese participants living in the United Kingdom ( n = 50), and participants self-identifying as “Caucasian” living in the United Kingdom. The results suggest that a polynomial function of Body Mass Index (kg/m 2 ) is the best predictor of all three judgments in a…
Humans are not fooled by size illusions in attractiveness judgements
Could signallers use size contrast illusions to dishonestly exaggerate their attractiveness to potential mates? Using composite photographs of women from three body mass index (BMI) categories designed to simulate small groups, we show that target women of medium size are judged as thinner when surrounded by larger women than when surrounded by thinner women. However, attractiveness judgements of the same target women were unaffected by this illu…
A cluster randomised trial testing an intervention to improve parents’ recognition of their child’s weight status
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN91136472. Registered 3 May 2013
Development of an intervention to improve parental recognition of childhood overweight
Physical Attractiveness
Body Fat Percent and Distribution
Television exposure predicts body size ideals in rural Nicaragua
Internalization of a thin ideal has been posited as a key risk factor in the development of pathological eating attitudes. Cross-culturally, studies have found a preference for heavier bodies in populations with reduced access to visual media compared to Western populations. As yet, however, there has been little attempt to control for confounding variables in order to isolate the effects of media exposure from other cultural and ecological facto…
Psychology (31 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (23 works) · Social Psychology (22 works) · Attractiveness (20 works) · Eating Disorders and Behaviors (18 works) · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification (15 works) · Medicine (15 works) · Developmental psychology (14 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Demography (12 works)