W's, X's, Y's, and Z's in Glossary

Question 1

wavelength

Answer 1

the distance from the peak on one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

Question 2

Weber’s law

Answer 2

the principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage to be perceived as different, rather than a constant amount

Question 3

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

Answer 3

the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance subtests

Question 4

Wernicke’s area

Answer 4

controls language reception – a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression, usually in the left temporal lobe

Question 5

withdrawal

Answer 5

the discomfort and distress that follows discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior

Question 6

working memory

Answer 6

a newer understanding of short-term memory that focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial info, and of info retrieved from long-term memory

Question 7

X chromosome

Answer 7

the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have 2 X chromosomes; males have 1.

Question 8

Y chromosome

Answer 8

the sex chromosome found only in males, from the dad.

Question 9

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

Answer 9

the theory that the retina contains 3 different color receptors – one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue – which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Question 10

zygote

Answer 10

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo