Psychology

the local voltage change across the cell wall as a nerve impulse is transmitted

either of a pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney

a personality disorder characterized by amorality and lack of affect; capable of violent acts without guilt feelings (`psychopathic personality' was once widely used but was superseded by `sociopathic personality' to indicate the social aspects of the disorder, but now `antisocial personality disorder' is the preferred term)

a cover term for a variety of mental disorders in which severe anxiety is a salient symptom

cortical areas that are neither motor or sensory but are thought to be involved in higher processing of information

the part of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles and heart and glands

an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior

a mental disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression

the part of the brain continuous with the spinal cord and comprising the medulla oblongata and pons and midbrain and parts of the hypothalamus

a detailed analysis of a person or group from a social or psychological or medical point of view

the portion of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord

the outermost layer of the cerebrum

the branch of psychology concerned with the treatment of abnormal mentation and behavior

the branch of neuroscience that studies the biological foundations of mental phenomena

a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause)

a broad transverse nerve tract connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

a statistic representing how closely two variables co-vary

(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires

a quantity whose value depends on another quantity

the branch of psychology that studies the social and mental development of children

dissociation so severe that the usually integrated functions of consciousness and perception of self break down

an experimental procedure in which neither the subjects of the experiment nor the persons administering the experiment know the critical aspects of the experiment

a congenital disorder caused by having an extra 21st chromosome; results in a flat face and short stature and mental retardation

a graphical record of electrical activity of the brain

the system of glands that produce endocrine secretions that help to control bodily metabolic activity

a neurochemical occurring naturally in the brain and having analgesic properties

any of several methods for reducing correlational data to a smaller number of dimensions or factors; beginning with a correlation matrix a small number of components or factors are extracted that are regarded as the basic variables that account for the interrelations observed in the data

any of several methods for reducing correlational data to a smaller number of dimensions or factors; beginning with a correlation matrix a small number of components or factors are extracted that are regarded as the basic variables that account for the interrelations observed in the data

a congenital medical condition in which body deformation occurs or facial development or mental ability is impaired because the mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy

a form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain

formulation of the plans and important details

one of two twins who developed from separate fertilized eggs

a thought process in which ideas (words or images) suggest other ideas in a sequence

that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying directly behind the forehead

a psychology based on the assumption that all mental process are useful to an organism in adapting to the environment

your identity as it is experienced with regard to your individuality as male or female, both male and female, or neither; awareness normally begin in infancy and is reinforced during adolescence

the overt expression of attitudes that indicate to others the degree of your maleness or femaleness

an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling or lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months

a cell of the neuroglia

chronic and abnormal anxiety about imaginary symptoms and ailments

a basal part of the diencephalon governing autonomic nervous system

either of two twins developed from the same fertilized ovum

a learning process in early life whereby species specific patterns of behavior are established

a value that does not depend on changes in other values

a measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by an intelligence test; the ratio of a person's mental age to their chronological age (multiplied by 100)

a psychometric test of intelligence

a psychometric test of intelligence

a system of functionally related neural structures in the brain that are involved in emotional behavior

lower or hindmost part of the brain

the first occurrence of menstruation in a woman

the time in a woman's life in which the menstrual cycle ends

the level of intellectual development as measured by an intelligence test

the level of intellectual development as measured by an intelligence test

lack of normal development of intellectual capacities

a self-report personality inventory consisting of 550 items that describe feelings or actions which the person is asked to agree with or disagree with; many scales estimating traits and qualities of personality have been developed using MMPI items

the branch of genetics concerned with the structure and activity of genetic material at the molecular level

the cortical area that influences motor movements

a neuron conducting impulses outwards from the brain or spinal cord

the use of nuclear magnetic resonance of protons to produce proton density images

a layer of myelin encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers

the sensory and control apparatus consisting of a network of nerve cells

the development of nerve tissues

a neurochemical that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse

a symmetrical curve representing the normal distribution

a symmetrical curve representing the normal distribution

an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts and feelings and repetitive, ritualized behaviors

that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying in the back of the head

a complex of males

total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant

an anxiety disorder characterized by unpredictable panic attacks; the attacks are usually severe but brief

originates in the brain stem and lower part of the spinal cord; opposes physiological effects of the sympathetic nervous system: stimulates digestive secretions; slows the heart; constricts the pupils; dilates blood vessels

that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying below the crown of the head

the section of the nervous system lying outside the brain and spinal cord

inflexible and maladaptive patterns of behavior

a questionnaire that is supposed to yield a description of a person's personality traits

the master gland of the endocrine system

any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo; the change is usually beneficial and is assumed result from the person's faith in the treatment or preconceptions about what the experimental drug was supposed to do; pharmacologists were the first to talk about placebo effects but now the idea has been generalized to many situations having nothing to do with drugs

an anxiety disorder associated with serious traumatic events and characterized by such symptoms as survivor guilt, reliving the trauma in dreams, numbness and lack of involvement with reality, or recurrent thoughts and images

the genetically determined sex characteristics bound up with reproduction (genitals and organs of reproduction)

any personality test designed to yield information about someone's personality on the basis of their unrestricted response to ambiguous objects or situations

a psychological disorder of thought or emotion

a sample in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected

(psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously develops attitudes and behavior that are the opposite of unacceptable repressed desires and impulses and serve to conceal them

a complex neural network in the central core of the brainstem; monitors the state of the body and functions in such processes as arousal and sleep and attention and muscle tone

a process of using up or consuming again

a projective tests using bilaterally symmetrical inkblots

the genetically determined sex characteristics that are not functionally necessary for reproduction (pitch of the voice and body hair and musculature)

your consciousness of your own identity

a neuron conducting impulses inwards to the brain or spinal cord

brain surgery on animals in which the corpus callosum (and sometimes the optic chiasm) is severed so that communication between the cerebral hemispheres is interrupted

the square root of the variance

the condition in which a standard has been successfully established

originates in the thoracic regions of the spinal cord

any agent that interferes with normal embryonic development: alcohol or thalidomide or X-rays or rubella are examples

a potent androgenic hormone produced chiefly by the testes

a projective technique using black-and-white pictures

the sex chromosome that is present in both sexes: singly in males and doubly in females

the sex chromosome that is carried by men