Investigates the development of eating patterns, normal and abnormal, from therapeutic, psychological and physiological perspectives. Uses the results of experiments dealing with abnormal eating patterns such as anorexia and bulemia to shed light on normal patterns of eating. Considers obesity and the question of why most people do not need to seek professional help to control their weight. Looks at the development of food preference and consumption in children. Discusses nutrition experiments performed with rats and their applications to the patterns of human food consumption, including how the palatability of food may change as the rat learns about its nutritional consequences and how they regulate food intake.