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orthorexia nervosa

an obsessive concern with eating a healthy or “pure” diet that is typically very restrictive and more focused on wellness than weight loss. Individuals may insist on eating only certain foods (e.g., those grown locally) or avoid certain food groups altogether (e.g., meat, eggs, dairy, wheat products), often resulting in extremely low caloric intake, risk of malnutrition, and in extreme cases, death. There is some debate about whether orthorexia nervosa is a distinct disorder or a form of anorexia nervosa or obsessive-compulsive disorder. [described in 1997 by U.S. physician Steven Bratman]

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Psychology term of the day

May 5th 2024

criterion validity

criterion validity

an index of how well a test correlates with an established standard of comparison (i.e., a criterion). Criterion validity is divided into three types: predictive validity, concurrent validity, and retrospective validity. For example, if a measure of criminal behavior is valid, then it should be possible to use it to predict whether an individual (a) will be arrested in the future for a criminal violation, (b) is currently breaking the law, and (c) has a previous criminal record. Also called criterion-referenced validity; criterion-related validity.