ANOREXIA NERVOSA
an eating disorder, which occurs frequently in adolescent girls, involving the refusal of food, a drive for thinness, perceptual disturbances…
APPETITIVE STIMULUS
In positive reinforcement (see positive reinforcement) this represents an unconditioned stimulus that an organism will approach. The effectiveness of this…
ARGUMENT QUALITY
the degree to which an argument elicits primarily positive evaluative responses toward the attitude and deemphasizes primarily negative ones. The…
ASIAN INFLUENZA
a type of influenza caused by the II2N2 strain of influenza virus, which was initially recorded in north China in…
ASSORTATIVE MATING
a type of mating behavior in which mates are chosen based on specific traits (e.g., attractiveness, similarity of body size…
ATTENTIONAL CAPTURE
the unintentional focusing of attention, for example by a change in a stimulus, which interrupts other processing - for example,…
AUDIOVISUAL TRAINING
instruction or training using audio aids, visual aids, or both. Examples of such include films, slides, filmstrips, videotapes, audiotapes, television,…
AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY
a distinct personality pattern that is characterized by (a) a preoccupation with power and status, (b) strict adherence to simplified…
AUTONOMOUS DEPRESSION
1. a major depressive episode that that may come on suddenly, but lack an identifiable obvious psychosocial stressor. See also…
AXO-AXONAL SYNAPSE
refers to a synapse between two nerve cells in which the nerve impulse travels from axon to axon, rather than…
BARNUM EFFECT
n. an individual's tendency to accept concepts personally, no matter how vague and generalized they may be. Thus, people tend…
BEHAVIORAL APPROACH SYSTEM (BAS)
n. one of two motivational systems which govern human and animal behavior. Activated by incentive motivation, the response is towards…
BEHAVIORISM
n. a scientific approach to psychology in which the study is based on observable, quantifiable facts and not on subjective…
BINARY FEATURE
n. in language and thought, refers to a pair of terms which are related in concept but opposite in meaning.…
BIOLOGICAL THEORY OF AGING
n. a number of probable theories which may explain the different facets of aging. Some of these explanations include programmed…
BLIND SPOT
n. in vision, refers to the area of the eye where the image hits the optic disk and, thus, cannot…
BOUNDARY AMBIGUITY
n. a discrepancy observed when the family system is viewed from within by a member and from the outside by…
BRUININKS-OSERETSKY TEST OF MOTOR PROFICIENCY (BOT)
n. a proficiency test on gross motor skills and fine motor skills administered to participants between 4 to 21 years…
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
n. a self-development program in which a person manages the progress and advancement of his or her own career. In…