A

n23

ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE

an enzyme thought to be involved in muscular dystrophy. Increased levels in the blood yield a clinical sign of this

ASSESSMENT CENTER

an office or department in which participants have assessments administered to them - usually by a clinician. A variety of

ASSOCIATION FIBER

a nerve fiber that transmits electrically charged impulses between different structures of the same cerebral hemisphere. Compare with commissural fiber.

ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING

a type of learning in which bonds are formed between varying element of the materials. In different learning theories, these

ASTHENIA

n. severe weakness or loss of strength, which is often associated with fatigue and muscular pain. Other symptoms conclude breathlessness,

ASYMBOLIA

the loss of ability to understand or use symbols of any kind, including: words, gestures, signals, musical notes, chemical formulas,

ATAXIA

n. impaired ability or inability to perform coordinated movements, for example, walking, writing, or reaching for an object. This may

ATHYREOSIS

n. a form of hypothyroidism, mostly found in children, whereby the thyroid gland has failed to develop normally. Affected children

ATTACK BEHAVIOR

the use of force or violence against an adversary, usually with intent to harm, maim, or kill. Attack behavior often

ATTENTIONAL BLINK

refers to an impairment in the ability to detect a probe (e.g., the letter X) in a rapidly presented stream

ATTENUATION THEORY

a part of the filter theory of attention, which proposes that unattended messages are attenuated (i.e., processed weakly) but not

ATTRACTION

n. 1. in social psychology, the natural feeling of being drawn to other individuals and desiring their company. This is

ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTICS

a newer class of antipsychotic drugs that produce fewer extra pyramidal effects compared to the original typical version. They are

ATYPICAL, MIXED, OR OTHER PERSONALITY DISORDER

in DSM-IV-TR, a category of personality disorders for which there is insufficient evidence for a more specific designation - that

AUDIOTACTILE DEVICE

an assistive technology device consisting of a touch-sensitive pad and a speech synthesizer. Ultimately, the device generates a voice output

AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIAL

a naturally produced electrical response to sound in the body. There are many types of auditory evoked potentials, but each

AUDITORY SENSATION

the sensation produced by any sound or other auditory stimulus.

AURAL

refers to a factor that pertains to hearing or to the auditory system in some manner.

AUTHORITY COMPLEX

a pattern of emotionally charged concepts of authority in an individual that are partially or completely repressed. To satisfy an

AUTOCLITIC

n. a single unit of verbal behavior (a verbal operant) that depends on other verbal behavior, and changes the effect