Three experiments are proposed investigating the role of social rules in governing food related behavior in obese and nonobese individuals and families. In an initial study, a representative series of situations where food is consumed will be selected. Obese and nonobese individuals will then identify social prescriptions and proscriptions that constrain food related behaviors in those situations. Obese-nonobese differences in rule nomination will be evaluated. In a second study the internal relationships between the rules identified for particular situations will be investigated. it is assumed that the rules associated with situations form a category that is cognitively organized around best or more typical category members. Obese and nonobese subjects will scale the typicality of the social rules associated with the eating situations identified in our first study. The rules and situations which discriminate between obese and nonobese individuals will be identified. In a third study a questionnaire will be constructed to tap the rule governed behaviors that discriminate between the obese and nonobese. Based on the rules extracted in the previous studies, the questionnaire will be administered to obese an nonobese family groups. Results will allow a determination of those rules and rule directed behaviors that discriminate between obese and nonobese individuals and families.
