key question

• learning theories key question:

  Is the influence of role models and celebrities something thatcauses anorexia nervosa?
• symptoms of anorexia nervosa:

  • periods stopping
  • abdominal pain
  • poor circulation in hands and feet
• why is this a key question?

  • The number of under 19s hospitalised for eating disorders has tripled in the last 10years.
  • 8% of people with disorder die within 5 years. Cost to families is severe
  • This has been blamed on increasing exposure to celebrity culture through smartphones
  • Picture-sharing apps such as Instagram make users more body conscious than ever- Trends such as #cleaneating and Photoshop
• classical conditioning- key question

  individuals may associate being thin and feelings of pleasure
• operant conditioning- key question

  Under eating or loosing weight may be rewarded such as pople giving you compliments- positive reinforcement which makes you more liekly to continue the behaviour.

  Avoiding food can act as negative reinforcement

  People may punish themselves for not achieving desired weight goal- restricting even futher
• social learning theory- key question

  • Thin and underweight models are highly valued in modern society
  • creating a beauty standard
  • Vicarious reinforcement occurs via platforms such as Instagram where an influencer receives more attention for posting images showing they are thin which is perceived as socially desirable
  • Teenagers pay attention to celebrity role models who are thin, retaining these messages and reproducing the behaviour through excessive dieting/exercise
• Evidence that supports issues with learning theories and eating;

  • Becker 2002 found that the introduction of TV increased negative attitudes towards food- linking to idea that role models display
  • Lai (2000) found that the rate of anorexia increased for Chinese residents in Hong Kong as the culture slowly became more westernised
• Refuting evidence to media influence in anorexia:

  If exposure to cultural messages was the only factor, then theoretically everyone who is exposed to media should develop an eating disorder – there must be other factors involved.

  • Castro (2006) found higher levels of homovanillic acid in adolescent girls withanorexia (homovanillic acid is a waste product of dopamine)
• Way to prevent negative expectations to arise from media- effecting ED

  The sabido method:

  this method is a theoretical model for stimulating positive change in social attitudes and behaviours through commercial television and radio programming.

  Since the 1980s, the Sabido methodology has been used to motivate changes in attitudes and behaviours on a wide range of issues, including child slavery, women’s status, environmental protection, and HIV/AIDS