3. In the 1950s, Ancel Keys used volunteers from the
US Army to study hunger.
Procedure
Results
Lethargy
Weight dropped & stabilized at 75% of normal
Concluded that hunger is a response to a
homeostatic system designed to maintain normal
4. Washburn and Cannon found that appetite
lessens if the stomach is shrunk (because
there is less ghrelin)
5. And older theory was based on the body’s set
point, or natural weight.
If the body was heavier, then it increased the
basal metabolic rate; if lighter, it decreased the
rate.
6. The body depends primarily on glucose for its
energy.
Insulin (from the pancreas) decreases the
amount of glucose in the system by converting it
into fat.
Leptin is produced by fat cells and decreases
hunger.
9. Taste preference is
Biological
There is a genetic predisposition to like sweet
and fatty tastes, but dislike bitter.
There is a genetic distrust of novel foods.
Cultural
You like what you know and are familiar with.
(mere exposure effect)
33. Anorexia nervosa is a condition
wherein a person is purposefully 15%
below their normal weight (BMI < 16)
Between ½-1% of Americans suffer
from anorexia nervosa.
Anorexia has the highest mortality
rate (5-10%) of any psychological
disorder.
