F

n23

FIBRILLATION

small and involuntary contraction of muscles from a spontaneous activation of muscle fibres or single muscle cells. It is especially

FIELD STRUCTURE

a term in Kurt Lewin's field theory. It is the pattern, distribution or hierarchy of all of the parts that

FILE-DRAWER ANALYSIS

A statistical procedure addressing the file-drawer problem by computing the number of unretrieved studies, averaging an effect size of .00,

FIMBRIA

1. this term is applied to any structure with resemblance to a fringe. 2. The term that describes the white

FIRST-ORDER FACTOR

Used in factor analysis. Any factors that are derived from the correlation among the manifest variables, as opposed to second-

FIVE-FACTOR PERSONALITY MODEL (FFM)

a personality model where 5 dimensions of difference are used, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experiences are the

FLAGELLATION

a term that is applied to one person who whips another or submits to whipping. It can be a form

FLICKER FUSION

the sensation produced by a flickering light when the rate of flickering is so rapid that the light pulses fuse

FLOOR EFFECT

the inability of a test to measure or discriminate below a certain point, usually because its items are too difficult.

FLUMAZENIL

the drug that is used to reverse the symptoms of an overdose of benzodiazepine and to reverse anaesthesia. It displaces

FOCAL MOTOR SEIZURE

the name of a simple partial seizure that results in motor abnormalities and is due to localised seizure activity in

FOLIE A CINQ

a shared psychotic disorder where 5 members of the same family have similar or identical delusions. It is a French

FONTANEL (FONTANELLE)

the soft, membrane-covered area in the incompletely ossified skull of a newborn. They will close before the 2nd year of

FORCED DISTRIBUTION

a rating system where the raters must use a prescribed number of entries for each level of the rating scale

FOREPLAY

the name that is given to any activity people engage in before having coitus. It encourages sexual arousal and includes

FORMAL LOGIC

the name given to the system of prescribed rules for generating valid conclusions or predictions from initial axiomatic assumptions or

FORNICATION

the term applied to the voluntary sexual intercourse between any two people who are not married to each other. The

FOUR-DAY WEEK

the name that is applied to the working week that has only 4 working days of 10 hours rather than

FRAME-OF-ORIENTATION NEED

the need of a person to develop and synthesise their major assumptions and ideas into a coherent view of the

FREE VARIATION

Linguistics. the state where variant forms of the same linguistic unit appear on an apparently random basis. Used in phonology