Epistemic Needs, Essentialist Thinking, and Authoritarian Ideologies As Predictors of Weight Bias

This study examines the influence of epistemic needs, essentialist thinking, and authoritarian ideologies on weight bias. Results indicated that essentialist thinking and authoritarian ideologies mediated the relationship between need for cognitive closure and anti-fat attitudes, providing support for Allport’s (1954) notion of a generalized prejudice-prone personality.