DYSTHYMIC DISORDER
A depressive disorder featuring a depressed mood more often than not that keeps up for at least 2 years.
DECISION RULE
Hypothesis testing. The formal statement of a set of values of a test statistic that leads to a rejection of…
DECONDITIONING
Behaviour therapy. Where a learned response such as phobia is unlearned. See desensitisation.
DEEP PROCESSING
The cognitive processing of a stimulus for its meaningful properties over its perceptual properties. See levels of processing model of memory- conceptually driven…
DEFENSE REFLEX
The sudden response from painful or unexpected stimuli. Also called defence response.
DEIFICATION
The elevation of a person to the position of a God or the extreme adulation of a person with godlike…
DELAYED EFFECT
An effect that is not seen until some time after the event. See causal latency- remote cause.
DELUSION OF POVERTY
The belief that a person has when they think they will soon be destitute.
DEMENTIA RATING SCALE
Used to measure the cognitive status of an adult. Comprises of 36 tasks if varying difficulty. Evaluates performance on subscales,…
DEMYELINATING DISEASE
A pathological condition like MS that results from the nerve sheaths being destroyed.
DEPTH PERCEPTION
The awareness we have of 3 dimensionality, distance to an object and its solidity.
DESCRIPTIVE BEHAVIORISM
The study of behaviour that states psychology should limit itself to descriptions of behaviour of organisms. See behaviourism- radical behaviourism.
DESMOPRESSIN
Synthetic compound of the hormone made by the pituitary gland called vasopressin.
DETAILED INQUIRY
Part of a clinical interview where the therapist gains understanding by asking direct questions.