Most people are unlikely to follow their doctor's advice unless they can vividly imagine the consequences of not following the advice. People are especially likely to ignore the advice they get from doctors if they are confused about that advice. The tendency people have to alter their behavior varies inversely with the number of alternatives available to them for behavior modification. In getting good results, the clarity with which a doctor instructs a patient is of equal importance to the accuracy of the doctor's diagnosis on which that instruction is based.
If a doctor gives a patient only a few options for lifestyle modification, the patient is more likely to adhere to the doctor' s advice than if the doctor gives the patient many options.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the principle illustrated above?