ATTACHMENT BOND
the primary, enduring, relationship that gradually develops between an infant and his or her caregiver.
ATTENTION SHIFTING
moving the focus of attention from one thing to another - for example, from the cat to the dog. Shifts…
ATTENUATED PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS
in schizophrenia or other serious disorders, a reduction in the hallucinations, delusions, bizarre behavior, or conceptual thought problems that are…
ATTITUDINAL REFLEX
an innate reflex that puts an animal in a position to make a complex response - for example, preparing to…
ATYPICAL STEREOTYPED-MOVEMENT DISORDER
in the DSM-lll and earlier editions, a diagnostic category for disorders that in the DSM-IV-TR are classified as tic disorder…
AUDIOMETRIC ZERO
refers to the level of a pure tone of a given frequency that is minimally detectable by a person with…
AUDITORY DISPLAY
1. acoustic information that is generally presented via headphones. This often includes simulations of realistic listening situations. See also virtual…
AUDITORY PERCEPTUAL DISORDERS
a series of language and cognition disorders associated with lesions in various parts of the brain. Lesions may affect hearing…
AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION
any communication that is aided, facilitated, or expanded by someone other than the communicator. An example of this is the…
AUTHORITATIVE PARENTING
a collaborative parenting style in which the parent encourages autonomy and independence yet still places fair limitations or restrictions on…
AUTOCHTHONOUS
1. native, indigenous, or original in some manner. 2. denoting endogenous processes that originate within the individual, independently of external…
AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL DEVICE
any equipment that facilitates self-teaching, including workbooks, CD-ROMs, cassettes, and so forth. It is used to further one's education without…
AUTOMATIC OBEDIENCE
uncritical, unwavering or mechanical compliance with the requests, suggestions, or commands of other individuals. See also command automatism.
AUTONECROPHILIA
n. a specific type of sexual pleasure derived from the fantasy that one is dead and that another person is…
AUTONOMIC RESTRICTORS
refers to people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), who have a lower heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance, and respiration…
AUTOPSYCHOSIS
n. a delusional condition, usually involving some type of psychosis, in which the individual posits distorted ideas about him- or…
AUTOSTEREOTYPING
n. refers to the incorporation of stereotypes about the groups one belongs to into one's own self-concept. Also known as…
AVERAGE-EVOKED-RESPONSE TECHNIQUE (AER TECH
a method of finding the specific electrical responses of the brain, by modeling the average evoked response (see evoked potential)…
AVOIDANCE RESPONSE
refers to a response in which an organism anticipates and therefore responds to prevent contact with this stimulus. The avoidance…