PUSH-DOWN STACK
A model used to illustrate memory. The model compares memory to a stack of cafeteria trays. New pieces of memory…
PRESENILITY
A form of dementia that typically manifests itself prior to a patient's 65th birthday.
PRESSURED SPEECH
Pressured speech can be associated with mania and usually manifests as uncontrolled
PREVALENCE
A numerical value showing the total incidents of diseases or disorders in a specific population during a specific time-frame (called…
PRIMACY EFFECT
The Primacy Effect is characterized by a tendency on the part of an observer to be more influenced by items…
PRIMARY CARE
Primary care is the first course of care once a patient decides to seek help from a hospital, clinic or…
PRIMARY ENVIRONMENT
The environment that is basic to a person's life, allowing essential human interactions to occur. Examples would be a home,…
PRIMARY STUTTERING
A slight degeneration in the fluency of speech in young children. It is not accompanied by the presence of stress…
PRIMITIVE SUPEREGO
A concept first presented by British psychoanalyst James Strachey, this theory identifies primitive superego as an early form of superego…
PRINT ENLARGEMENT SYSTEM
Designed for individuals who have low vision capabilities, a print enlargement system is an electronic or software system that enlarges…
PROACTIVE INTERFERENCE (PI)
Proactive interference is the concept of a diminishment in new learning because of previous learning of similar material. It is also referred to as proactive inhibition. Proactive…
PROCESS-DISSOCIATION METHOD
The method of separating conscious memory elements for unconscious ones. Also known as method of opposition.
PRODUCTIVE VOCABULARY
The words and phrases used by an individual on a regular basis. This is opposed to the words and phrases…
PROFILE OF MOOD STATES (POMS)
The Profile of Mood States was originally developed by McNair, Lorr and Droppleman in 1971. It is a self-reporting instrument…
PROGRAMMING
Planning a sequential set of operations. In computers, giving a set of instructions expecting a pre-determined outcome.
PROJECTION FIBER
A nerve fiber in the brain carrying impulses from the cerebral cortex to subcortical areas.