ATHLETIC TRIAD
the combination of three disorders: amenorrhea, anorexia nervosa, and osteoporosis (see calcium- deficiency disorders), that have been observed in some…
ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR
1. behavior associated implicated in the formation of significant relationships, for example, symbiosis with the mother. 2. also refers to…
ATTENTION OVERLOAD
a psychological condition that results from excessive demands on attention - usually due to too much stimuli. The effect is…
ATTENUATED POSITIVE SYMPTOMS
in schizophrenia or other serious disorders, a reduction in the hallucinations, delusions, bizarre behavior, or conceptual thought problems that are…
ATTITUDINAL GROUP
1. an set, of individuals who are highly similar in their attitudes toward a given subject, for example, members of…
ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE
a person's characteristic tendencies when inferring the cause of behavior or events, that may be based on three dimensions: the…
ATYPICAL PSYCHOSIS
in the DSM-lll, this represented a category of psychotic disorders. In the DSM-IV-TR these are labeled as psychotic disorders not…
AUDIOMETER
n. an electronic device used to measure auditory sensitivity, usually in medical or clinical settings. Its primary use is to…
AUDITORY DISCRIMINATION
refers to the ability to distinguish between heard sounds. Intensity discrimination, for example, is one branch of auditory discrimination, and…
AUDITORY PERCEPTION
the ability to interpret and organize sensory information received through the auditory system.
AUGMENTATION STRATEGIES
refers to mechanisms used to increase the effectiveness of psychotropic drugs- primarily by adding other agents. Augmentation strategies are commonly…
AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
a distinct personality pattern that is characterized by (a) a preoccupation with power and status, (b) strict adherence to simplified…
AUTOIMMUNITY
a condition in which the body's immune system fails to recognize, and therefore rejects its own cells. Autoimmunity increases with…
AUTOMATIC DRAWING
the act of drawing images, doodles, or objects while in a hypnotic trance or in a situation in which the…
AUTOMUTILATION
n. a specific sexual pleasure derived from mutilating parts of one's body or from fantasizing about mutilated parts of one
AUTONOMIC REACTIVITY
1. the extent or level to which an organism responds physiologically to a stimulus, such as a stressor in the…
AUTOSTEREOGRAM
n. refers to a two-dimensional arrangement of repeated elements, or a pattern, that produces a perception of three-dimensional depth when…
AVERAGE ERROR
refers to the typical degree a series of observations are inaccurate with respect to an absolute criterion (e.g., a standard…