APPRAISAL MOTIVE
the desire to gain accurate, objective information about the self leads people to seek highly diagnostic feedback (see diagnosticity). It…
APRACTAGNOSIA
refers to an impaired ability to organize, remember, and/or perform a sequence of movements or skilled motor activities. May also…
ARACHIDONIC ACID
a long-chain of polyunsaturated fatty acid that is a component of most cell membranes. When liberated from the membrane by…
ARCHITECTURAL DETERMINISM
the unfounded belief that the environment dictates behavior or directly causes specific behaviors to occur or not to occur. More…
ARMCHAIR PSYCHOLOGY
a form of psychological inquiry or therapy that is based on introspection and rational processes without reference to an empirical…
AROUSAL POTENTIAL
the innate capability of a stimulus to induce arousal. According to British-born Canadian psychologist Daniel E. Berlyne (1924-1976), a preference…
ARRHINENCEPHALY (ARHINENCEPHALY)
a congenital defect attributed to abnormalities in the part of the brain associated with the sense of smell. In some…
ARTICULATION
1. the process of producing and using the speech sounds required for intelligible and meaningful speech. Articulation is a complex…
ARTIFICIAL PUPIL
an artificial aperture placed by a doctor, that limits the amount of light entering the eye.
ASCORBIC ACID
the chemical name for vitamin C, a nutrient inherent in many fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus fruits (see vitamin). Unlike…
ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICE
a device used by a person with hearing loss to emphasize a single specific type of sound. Unlike conventional hearing…
ASSOCIATIONISM
n. the theory that complex mental processes, such as thinking, learning, and memory, can be mainly explained by the associative…
ASSORTATIVE MATING
a type of mating behavior in which mates are chosen based on specific traits (e.g., attractiveness, similarity of body size…
ASYNDETIC THINKING
distorted or disjointed thought processes in which ideas and images are fragmented or unconnected with each other. It is prevalent…