ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY (ARO)
an association of scientists and physicians who collectively perform and share research on hearing, balance, speech, taste, and smell. The…
ASSOCIATIVE MEMORY
1. a memory of a past event or place that may occur by recalling something associated with it. 2. retrieval…
ASTHENIC TYPE
a body type characterized by a long- limbed, narrow-chested, weak looking physique. According to some typologies, such individuals tend to…
ASYMMETRICAL DISTRIBUTION
describes a statistical distribution whereby the frequency of scores above the mean does not equal that below the mean.
ATAXIA TELANGIECTASIA
an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by an inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements (see ataxia) and by the dilation…
ATMOSPHERE EFFECT
1. the tendency for particular behaviors to be stimulated by a particular situation, even when inappropriate or completely pointless -…
ATTAINMENT
refers to a specific educational achievement or accomplishment. Also refers to the achievement of goals.
ATTENTIONAL CAPTURE
the unintentional focusing of attention, for example by a change in a stimulus, which interrupts other processing - for example,…
ATTENUATOR
refers to a calibrated device that accurately controls the intensity of tones or lights on electronic instruments, such as audiometers,…
ATTRACTION RELATIONS
refers to patterns of liking-disliking, acceptance-rejection, and inclusion-exclusion among members of a given group. Such patterns may also be known…
ATYPICAL CONDUCT DISORDER
in the DSM-lll, this represented a diagnostic category for a disorder that in the DSM-IV-TR, is classified as disruptive behavior…
AUBERT PHENOMENON
the illusion that occurs when a vertical line appears to tilt in the opposing direction from the direction the head…
AUDIOVERBAL AMNESIA
one type of auditory aphasia in which the individual may be able to retain and repeat certain single words presented…
AUDITORY FATIGUE
a relatively transient form of hearing loss, that is usually caused by exposure to a loud noise. It is marked…
AUDITORY SENSATION UNIT
refers to the just noticeable difference in sound intensity. See also difference threshold.
AUTHORITY PRINCIPLE
refers to the concept that each member of an ordered social hierarchy is expected to comply with the wishes of…
AUTOCORRELATION
n. in statistics and experimental design, the correlation of observations with themselves over time - usually experienced in repeated measures…
AUTOMAINTENANCE
n. refers to the maintenance of behaviors established by behavior-independent stimulus-reinforcer pairings. For example, key-pecking behavior in pigeons that is…
AUTOMATIC SPEAKER RECOGNITION
the concept of a computer recognizing a human voice and the characteristics of his or her speech. Also known as…