This study compared the effects of a model on the food intake of obese and non-obese females. Forty female subjects, 20 obese and 20 non-obese, were paired with an experimental confederate who was either obese or non-obese. Analysis of the amount of food eaten revealed an interaction between weight status and type of confederate; obese subjects ate significantly more in the presence of an obese confederate. By contrast, non-obese subjects ate a similar amount in both conditions. There was a significant difference between the amount subjects ate and the amount they reported they had eaten, due largely to the fact that obese subjects underestimated the amount of food they had eaten.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.