Читать книгу Methods in Psychological Research - Annabel Ness Evans - Страница 26

Once a behavior has been well described and an explanation has been offered, the next step is often to make predictions from the explanation. If the predictions are not confirmed, the explanation is considered faulty and must be revised. A prediction that might be made from Epling and Pierce’s explanation for the development of anorexia in rats would be that people with anorexia engage in excessive exercise. Epling and Pierce found that excessive physical exercise in anorectic patients was reported quite often and was thought by professionals to be a side effect of the disorder (Epling & Pierce, 1992). Another interesting prediction Epling and Pierce made was that people in some professions would be more likely than others to become anorectic. For example, according to their model, ballet dancers (who are required to be very active) should be more likely to develop anorexia than models. Both groups must control their weight to be successful, but only ballet dancers must also be active. Epling and Pierce (1992) report that the available data support this prediction.