Final answer:
The eating patterns refer to the observed behaviors of the laboratory rats while they were being studied. The researcher manipulated the amount of sleep the rats received and observed how this affected their eating habits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The eating patterns refer to the observed behaviors of the laboratory rats while they were being studied. The researcher manipulated the amount of sleep the rats received and observed how this affected their eating habits. For example, the researcher may have looked at the frequency of meals, the amount of food consumed, and the timing of eating events. By comparing the eating patterns of rats with different sleep amounts, the researcher could draw conclusions about the relationship between sleep and eating behavior.
In the scenario where a researcher observes the eating patterns of laboratory rats while manipulating the amount of sleep they received, the term eating patterns refers to a variable. This is because eating patterns can vary and change under different conditions, such as the amount of sleep the rats received.