N Flashcards
(148 cards)
1
Q
A participant who has not previously participated in a particular research study and has not been made aware of the experimenter’s hypothesis
A
Naive Participant
2
Q
A morphine derived opioid antagonist that prevents the binding of opioids to opioid receptors
- Like other opioid antagonists, it can quickly reverse the effects of opioid overdose and is useful in emergency settings to reverse respiratory depression
A
Naloxone
3
Q
An opioid antagonist that, like the shorter acting naloxone, prevents the binding of opioid agonists to opioid receptors
- If this is taken prior to use of opiate drugs, it will prevent their reinforcing effects, and can therefore be used for the management of opioid dependence in individuals desiring abstinence
- This is also appropriate as an adjunctive treatment in the management of alcoholism
- U.S. Trade name: ReVia
A
Naltrexone
4
Q
Excessive self love or egocentrism
A
Narcissism
5
Q
A personality disorder with the following characteristics: (a) a long standing pattern of grandiose self importance and exaggerated sense of talent and achievements; (b) fantasies of unlimited sex, power, brilliance, or beauty; (c) an exhibitionistic need for attention and admiration; (d) either cool indifference or feelings of rage, humiliation, or emptiness as a response to criticism, indifference, or defeat; and (e) various interpersonal disturbances, such as feeling entitled to special favors, taking advantage of others, and inability to empathize with the feelings of others
A
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
6
Q
A disorder consisting of excessive daytime sleepiness accompanied by brief “attacks” of sleep during waking hours
- These sleep attacks may occur at any time or during any activity, including in potentially dangerous situations, such as driving an automobile
- The attacks are marked by immediate entry into REM sleep without going through the usual initial stages of sleep
A
Narcolepsy
7
Q
- Originally, any drug that induces a state of stupor or insensibility (narcosis)
- More recently, the term referred to strong opioids used clinically for pain relief but this usage is now considered imprecise and pejorative; the term is still sometimes used in legal contexts to refer to a wide variety of abused substances - Of or relating to narcotics or narcosis
A
Narcotic
8
Q
Treatment for individuals, couples, or families that helps clients reinterpret and rewrite their life events into true but more life enhancing narratives or stories
- This posits that individuals are primarily meaning making beings who are the linguistic authors of their lives and who can reauthor these stories by learning to deconstruct them, by seeing patterns in their ways of interpreting life events or problems, and by reconstruing problems or events in a more helpful light
A
Narrative Therapy
9
Q
- The doctrine that the mind has certain innate structures and that experience plays a limited role in the creation of knowledge
- The doctrine that mental and behavioral traits are largely determined by hereditary, rather than environmental, factors
A
Nativism
10
Q
A method of labor and child delivery that does not include (or is designed to eliminate) the need for medical interventions, such as anesthetics
- The mother receives preparatory education in such areas as breathing and relaxation coordination, exercise of the muscles involved in labor and delivery, and postural positions that make labor more comfortable and allow for conscious participation in delivery
A
Natural Childbirth
11
Q
A natural event, often a natural disaster (eg; a flood, tornado, or volcanic eruption), that is treated as an experimental condition to be compared to some control condition
- However, since natural events cannot be manipulated or prearranged, these are in fact not true experiments at all but rather a type of nonexperimental research
A
Natural Experiment
12
Q
In philosophy, the doctrine that reality consists solely of natural objects and that therefore the methods of natural science offer the only reliable means to knowledge and understanding of reality
- This is closely related to materialism and explicitly opposes any form of supernaturalism positing the existence of realities beyond the natural and material world
A
Naturalism
13
Q
Data collection in a field setting, usually without laboratory controls or manipulation of variables
- These procedures are usually carried out by a trained observer, who watches and records the everyday behavior of participants in their natural environments
- Examples of this include an ethologist’s study of the behavior of chimpanzees and an anthropologist’s observation of playing children
A
Naturalistic Observation
14
Q
A type of lymphocyte that destroys infected or cancerous cells
- Unlike the B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, these do not require the target cells to display on their surface foreign antigens combined with host histocompatibility proteins
A
Natural Killer Cell
15
Q
The process by which such forces as competition, disease, and climate tend to eliminate individuals who are less well adapted individuals
- Hence, over successive generations, the nature of the population changes
- This is the fundamental mechanism driving the evolution of living organisms and the emergence of new species, as originally proposed independently by British naturalists Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) and Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913)
A
Natural Selection
16
Q
- The phenomena of the natural world, including plants, animals, and physical features, as opposed to human beings and their creations
- The innate, presumably genetically determined, characteristics and behaviors of an individual
- In psychology, those characteristics most often and traditionally associated with nature are temperament, body type, and personality
A
Nature
17
Q
The dispute over the relative contributions of hereditary and constitutional factors (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) to the development of the individual
- Nativists emphasize the role of heredity, whereas environmentalists emphasize sociocultural and ecological factors, including family attitudes, child rearing practices, and economic status
- Most scientists now accept that there is a close interaction between hereditary and environmental factors in the ontogeny of behavior
A
Nature - Nurture
18
Q
The mechanisms used by an organism to find its way through the environment, for example, to a migration site or to its home site
- A variety of cues have been documented in nonhuman animals, including using the sun or stars as a compass, magnetic lines, olfactory cues, visual cues (eg; rivers or coastlines), and wind sheer effects from air masses crossing mountain ranges
A
Navigation
19
Q
Answers questions negatively regardless of their content, which can distort the results of surveys, questionnaires, and similar instruments
A
Nay-saying
20
Q
An image, perception, event, interaction, or feeling (or a combination of any of these) reported by some people after a life threatening episode
- Typical features include a sense of separation from the body, often accompanied by the ability to look down on the situation; a peaceful and pleasant state of mind; and an entering into the light, sometimes following an interaction with a spiritual being
- There is continuing controversy regarding the existence, cause, and nature of NDEs
A
Near Death Experience (NDE)
21
Q
A line drawing of a cube in which all angles and sides can be seen, as if it were transparent
- It is an ambiguous figure whose three dimensionality fluctuates when viewed for a prolonged period of time [Louis Albert Necker (1730 - 1804), Swiss crystallographer]
A
Necker Cube
22
Q
A condition of tension in an organism resulting from deprivation of something required for survival, wellbeing, or personal fulfillment
A
Need
23
Q
A strong desire to accomplish goals and attain a high standard of performance and personal fulfillment
- People with this often undertake tasks in which there is a reasonable probability of success and avoid tasks that are either too easy (because of lack of challenge) or too difficult (because of fear of failure)
A
Need for Achievement (n-Ach)
24
Q
A strong desire to socialize and be part of a group
- People with this often seek the approval and acceptance of others
A
Need for Affiliation (n-Aff)
25
A personality trait reflecting a person's tendency to enjoy engaging in extensive cognitive activity
- This trait primarily reflects a person's motivation to engage in cognitive activity rather than his or her actual ability to do so
- Individuals high in this tend to develop attitudes or take action based on thoughtful evaluation of information
Need for Cognition
26
The motivation to be a part of relationships, belong to groups, and to be viewed positively by others
Need to Belong
27
The internal feeling state (affect) that occurs when one has failed to achieve a goal or to avoid a threat or when one is not satisfied with the current state of affairs
- The tendency to experience such states is known as negative affectivity
Negative Affect
28
A relationship between two variables in which the value of one variable increases while the value of the other variable decreases
- For example, in a study about babies crying and being held, the discovery that those who are held more tend to cry less is a negative correlation
Negative Correlation
29
1. An arrangement whereby some of the output of a system, whether mechanical or biological, is fed back to reduce the effect of input signals
- Such systems, which measure the deviation from a desired state and apply a correction, are important in achieving homeostasis, whereas systems employing positive feedback tend to amplify small deviations and become highly unstable
2. In social psychology, nonconstructive criticism, disapproval, and other negative information received by a person in response to his or her performance
Negative Feedback
30
The ability of a preceding stimulus to inhibit the response to a subsequent stimulus
- This is measured by the detectability of the second stimulus or the time taken to make a response to the second stimulus
- The most striking examples occur when the participant is instructed to ignore a feature of the first stimulus (eg; its color) and then to attend to that same feature in the second stimulus
- Priming effects are usually facilitative
Negative Priming
31
Punishment that results because some stimulus or circumstance is removed as a consequence of a response
- For example, if a response results in a subtraction of money from an accumulating account, and the response becomes less likely as a result of this experience, then negative punishment has occurred
Negative Punishment
32
The removal, prevention, or postponement of an aversive stimulus as a consequence of a response, which, in turn, increases the probability of that response
Negative Reinforcement
33
A form of schizophrenia characterized by a predomination of negative symptoms, suggesting deficiency or absence of behavior normally present in a person's repertoire, as shown in apathy, blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, poor rapport, and lack of spontaneity
Negative Schizophrenia
34
The hypothesis that helping behavior is used by some people in stressful situations and periods of boredom and inactivity to avoid or escape negative moods
Negative State Relief Model
35
A deficit in the ability to perform the normal functions of living - logical thinking, self care, social interaction, planning, initiating, and carrying through constructive actions, and so forth - as shown in apathy, blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, poor rapport, and lack of spontaneity
- In schizophrenia, a predominance of these is often associated with a poor prognosis
Negative Symptom
36
A process in which previous learning obstructs or interferes with present learning
- For instance, tennis players who learn racquetball must often unlearn their tendency to take huge, muscular swings with the shoulder and upper arm
Negative Transfer
37
An attitude characterized by persistent resistance to the suggestions of others (passive negativism) or the tendency to act in ways that are contrary to the expectations, requests, or commands of others (active negativism), typically without any identifiable reason for opposition
- In young children and adolescents, such reactions may be considered a healthy expression of self assertion
- This may also be associated with a number of disorders (extreme versions is a feature of catatonic schizophrenia)
Negativism
38
1. Failure to provide for the basic needs of a person in one's care
- It may be emotional (eg; rejection or apathy), material (eg; withholding food or clothing), or service oriented (eg; depriving of education or medical attention)
2. A syndrome characterized by lack of awareness of a specific gree or side of the body caused by a brain injury
- It may involve failure to recognize the area as belonging to oneself or ignoring the existence of one side of the body or one side of the visual field
- This has also been found in auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive tasks
Neflect
39
A reciprocal communication process in which two or more parties to a dispute examine specific issues, explain their positions, and exchange offers and counteroffers in an attempt to identify a solution or outcome that is acceptable to all parties
Negotiation
40
An approach to psychology that emphasized the development of comprehensive theories and frameworks of behavior, such as those of U.S. psychologists Clark L. Hull (1884 - 1952) and Edward C. Tolman (1886 - 1959), through empirical observation of behavior and the use of consciousness and mental events as explanatory devices
- It thus contrasts with classical behaviorism, which was concerned with freeing psychology of mentalistic concepts and explanations
Neobehaviorism
41
Regions of the cerebral cortex that are the most recently evolved and contain six main layers of cells
- This comprises the majority of human cerebral cortex, includes the primary sensory and motor cortex and association cortex
Neocortex
42
A theory that explains the paradoxical phenomena of hypnosis as a result of divided consciousness
- For example, hypnotic analgesia can produce subjectively reported relief from pain while physiological measures indicate that pain is still being registered
Neodissociative Theory
43
A theory that explains the paradoxical phenomena of hypnosis as a result of divided consciousness
- For example, hypnotic analgesia can produce subjectively reported relief from pain while physiological measures indicate that pain is still being registered
Neodissociative Theory
44
1. Denoting an approach that derives from the classical psychoanalysis of Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939), but with modifications and revisions that typically emphasize social and interpersonal elements over biological instincts
- The term is not usually applied to the approaches of Freud's contemporaries, such as Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler (1870 - 1937) and Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875 - 1961), who broke away from his school quite early
- German born U.S. psychologist Erik Erikson (1902 - 1994), German born U.S. psychoanalyst Erich Fromm (1900 - 1980), German born U.S. psychoanalyst Karen Horney (1885- 1952), and U.S. psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan (1892 - 1949) are considered to be among the most influential neo- freudian theorists and practitioners
2. An analyst or theoretician who adopts such an approach
Neo-Freudian
45
A recently coined word or expression
- In a psychopathological context neologisms, whose origins and meanings are usually nonsensical and unrecognizable (eg; “klipno” for watch), are typically associated with aphasia or schizophrenia
Neologism
46
A newborn human or nonhuman animal
- Human infants born after the normal gestation period of 36 weeks are known as full term; infants born prematurely before the end of this period are known as preterm (or, colloquially, as "preemies")
Neonate
47
The belief that much cognitive knowledge, such as object permeance and certain aspects of language, is innate, requiring little in the way of specific experiences to be expressed
- They hold that cognitive development is influenced by biological constraints and that individuals are predisposed to process certain types of information
Neonativism
48
A new, abnormal growth, that is, a benign or malignant tumor
- The term is generally used to specify a malignant tumor
- This usually grows rapidly by cellular proliferation but generally lacks structural organization
Neoplasm
49
A bundle of axons outside the central nervous system (CNS), enclosed in a sheath of connective tissue to form a cordlike structure
- These serve to connect the CNS with the tissues and organs of the body
- They may be motor, sensory, or mixed (containing axons of both motor and sensory neurons)
Nerve
50
An endogenous polypeptide that stimulates the growth and development of neurons in the dorsal root of each spinal nerve and in the ganglia of the sympathetic nervous system
Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)
51
A lay term for an emotional illness or other mental disorder that has a sudden onset, produces acute distress, and significantly interferes with one's functioning
Nervous Breakdown
52
The system of neurons, nerves, tracts, and associated tissues that, together with the endocrine system, coordinates activities of the organism in response to signals received from the internal and external environments
- In higher vertebrates it is often considered in terms of its divisions, principally the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
Nervous System
53
In an experimental design, the appearance of the levels of one factor (the nested factor) only within a single level of another factor
- For example, classrooms are nested within a school because each specific classroom is found only within a single school; similarly, schools are nested within school districts
Nesting
54
An association between a physical occurrence in the nervous system and a mental state or event
- In the cerebellum, for example, the neural correlate of fear memory is provided by a long term potentiation of the excitatory synapses between the parallel fibers and the purkinje cells
- The existence of these suggests potential biological bases for a variety of complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral phenomena, including consciousness (awareness), perception, learning and memory, judgements and decisions, attitudes, and motivation
Neural Correlate
55
A biological theory of mind that attempts to explain specific cognitive functions, such as learning or memory, in terms of the selection of particular groups of neuronal structures inside individual brains
- This selection of the best adapted structures is placed within the general framework of the Darwinian theory of natural selection
- Critics of the theory argue that natural selection cannot apply without reproduction
Neural Darwinism
56
1. A technique for modeling the neural changes in the brain that underlie cognition and perception in which a large number of simple hypothetical neural units are connected to one another
2. A form of artificial intelligence system used for learning and classifying data
- These are usually abstract structures modeled on a computer and consist of a number of interconnected processing elements (nodes), each with a finite number of inputs and outputs
- The elements in the network can have a "weight" determining how they process data, which can be adjusted according to experience
- In this way, the network can be "trained" to recognize patterns in input data by optimizing the output of the network
- The analogy is with the supposed action of neurons in the brain
Neural Network
57
Any route followed by a nerve impulse through central or peripheral nerve fibers of the nervous system
- This may consist of a simple reflex arc or a complex but specific routing, such as that followed by impulses transmitting a specific wavelength of sound from the cochlea to the auditory cortex
Neural Pathway
58
The ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or environmental stimulation
- For example, following an injury remaining neurons may adopt certain functions previously performed by those that were damaged, or a change in reactivity of the nervous system and its components may result from constant, successive activations
Neural Plasticity
59
A theory to explain linear psychophysical functions, which are sometimes obtained instead of the ogival (s-shaped) form, whereby changes in sensation are assumed to occur in discrete steps and not along a continuum, based on the all or none law of neural activity
- In this context, quantum refers to a functionally distinct unit in the neural mechanisms that mediate sensory experience - that is, a perceptual rather than a physical unit
Neural Quantum Theory
60
The simultaneous firing or activation of neurons in multiple areas of the brain, particularly in response to the same stimulus
- Many motor and higher level cognitive processes appear to be based on the coordinated interactions of large numbers of neurons that are distributed within and across different specialized brain areas
- Additionally, recent research suggests dysfunctions in this may be associated with several psychological disorders, including autistic spectrum disorders
Neural synchrony
61
A structure formed during early development of an embryo, when folds of the neural plate curl over and fuse
- Cells of this differentiate along its length on the anterior - posterior axis to form swellings that correspond to the future forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain; the posterior part of the tube develops into the spinal cord
Neural Tube
62
A projection from the neuronal cell body: an axon or a dendrite
- This general term is used especially in relation to developing neurons whose axons and dendrites often are difficult to distinguish from one another
Neurite
63
The study of the structures and relationships among the various parts of the nervous system
Neuroanatomy
64
An undifferentiated cell that is capable of developing into a neuron
Neuroblast
65
The branch of neuroscience that deals with the roles of atoms, molecules, and ions in the functioning of nervous systems
Neurochemistry
66
A prominent theory stating schizophrenia results from an early brain lesion, either feral or neonatal, that disrupts normal neurological development and leads to abnormalities and later psychotic symptoms
- Consequences of this early disruption appear in childhood and adolescence, prior to the actual onset of schizophrenic symptoms, as subtle differences in motor coordination, cognitive and social functioning, and temperament
- Much evidence supports this hypothesis and risk factors operating in early life (eg; obstetric complications) have been shown to be associated with the later development of schizophrenia
Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis
67
Twisted strands of abnormal filaments within neurons that are associated with Alzheimer's disease
- The filaments form microscopically visible knots or tangles consisting of tau protein, which normally is associated with microtubules
- If the structure of tau is rendered abnormal, the microtubule structure collapses, and the tau protein collects in neurofibrillary tangles
Neurofibrillary Tangles
68
The division of nonneuronal cells to produce neurons
Neurogenesis
69
A hormone produced by neural tissue and released into the general circulation
Neurohormone
70
Analysis of the data gathered by an examining physician of an individual’s mental status and sensory and motor functioning
- The examination typically includes assessment of cognition, speech and behavior, orientation and level of alertness, muscular strength and tone, muscle coordination and movement, tendon reflexes, cranial nerves, pain and temperature sensitivity, and discriminative senses
Neurological Evaluation
71
A branch of medicine that studies the nervous system in both healthy and diseased states
Neurology
72
A substance that modulates the effectiveness of neurotransmitters by influencing the release of the transmitters or the receptor response to the transmitter
Neuromodulator
73
The junction between a motor neuron and the muscle fiber it innervates
- In skeletal muscle, the muscle cell plasma membrane (sarcolemma) is greatly folded in the region opposite the terminus of a motor axon, forming a motor end plate
Neuromuscular Junction
74
The basic cellular unit of the nervous system
- Each one is composed of a cell body; fine, branching extensions (dendrites) that receive incoming nerve signals; and a single, long extension (axon) that conducts nerve impulses to its branching terminal
- The axon terminal transmits impulses to other neurons, or to effector organs (eg; muscles and glands), via junctions called synapses or neuromuscular junctions
- These can be classified according to their function as motor neurons, sensory neurons, or interneurons
- There are various structural types, including unipolar neurons, bipolar neurons, and multipolar neurons
- The axons of vertebrate neurons are often surrounded by a myelin sheath
Neuron
75
Any of several short chains of amino acids (peptides) that are released by neurons as neurotransmitters or neurohormones in both the brain and the peripheral nervous system (eg; endorphin, substance P, hypothalamic releasing hormones)
Neuropeptide
76
The scientific study of the effects of drugs on the nervous system
Neuropharmacology
77
A branch of neuroscience that is concerned with the normal and abnormal functioning of the nervous system, including the chemical and electrical activities of individual neurons
Neurophysiology
78
An evaluation of the presence, nature, and extent of brain damage or dysfunction derived from the results of various neuropsychological tests
Neuropsychological Assessment
79
Any of various clinical instruments for assessing cognitive impairment, including those measuring memory, language, learning, attention, and visuospatial and visuoconstructive functioning
Neuropsychological Test
80
The branch of science that studies the physiological processes of the nervous system and relates them to behavior and cognition
Neuropsychology
81
The scientific study of the nervous system, including neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neurology, neurophysiology, and neuropharmacology, and its applications in psychology and psychiatry
Neuroscience
82
Any one of a variety of mental disorders characterized by significant anxiety or other distressing emotional symptoms, such as persistent and irrational fears, obsessive thoughts, compulsive acts, dissociative states, and somatic and depressive reactions
- The symptoms do not involve gross personality disorganization, total lack of insight, or loss of contact with reality
- In psychoanalysis, this is generally viewed as exaggerated, unconscious methods of coping with internal conflicts and the anxiety they produce
- In DSM-IV-TR, most of what used to be called this is now classified as anxiety disorders
Neurosis
83
Surgical procedures performed on the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves for the purpose of restoring functioning or preventing further impairment
Neurosurgery
84
In psychoanalytic theory, anxiety that originates in unconscious conflict and is maladaptive in nature: it has a disturbing effect on emotion and behavior and also intensifies resistance to treatment
- This contrasts with realistic anxiety, about an external danger or threat, and with moral anxiety, which is guilt posited to originate in the superego
Neurotic Anxiety
85
One of the dimensions of the Five Factor Personality Model and the Big Five Personality Model, characterized by a chronic level of emotional instability and proneness to psychological distress
Neuroticism
86
In psychoanalytic theory, an excessive drive or demand that may arise out of the strategies individuals use to defend themselves against basic anxiety
- German born U.S. psychoanalyst Karen D. Horney (1885 - 1952) enumerated ten neurotic needs: for affection and approval, for a partner to take over one's life, for restriction of one's life, for power, for exploitation of others, for prestige, for admiration, for achievement, for self sufficiency and independence, and for perfection
Neurotic Need
87
The process by which a signal or other activity in a neuron is transferred to an adjacent neuron or other cell (eg; a skeletal muscle cell)
- Synaptic transmission, which occurs between two neurons via a synapse, is largely chemical, by the release and binding of neurotransmitter, but it may also be electrical
Neurotransmission
88
Any of a large number of chemicals that can be released by neurons to mediate transmission or inhibition of nerve signals across the junctions (synapses) between neurons
- When triggered by a nerve impulse, this is released from the terminal button of the axon, travels across the synaptic cleft, and binds to and reacts with receptor molecules in the postsynaptic membrane
- These include amines, such as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin; and amino acids, such as gamma aminobutyric acid, glutamate, and glycine
Neurotransmitter
89
Any of various proteins that promote the development and survival of specific populations of neurons
- These include nerve growth factor, deficits in the axonal transport of which have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, and brain derived neurotrophic factor, which plays a crucial role in cognition, learning, and memory formation by modulating synaptic plasticity
Neurotrophin
90
The process of development of the rudimentary nervous system in early embryonic life, including formation of the neural tube from the neural plate
Neurulation
91
In Pavlovian Conditioning, a stimulus that does not elicit a response of the sort to be measured as an index of conditioning
- For example, the sound of a bell has no effect on salivation, therefore it is a neural stimulus with respect to salivation and a good candidate for conditioning of that response
Neural Stimulus
92
A testing procedure used for making post hoc pairwise comparisons among a set of means
Newman-Keuls Test
93
An alkaloid obtained primarily from the tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum)
- One of the most widely used psychoactive drugs, this produces multiple pharmacological effects on the central nervous system by activating nicotine receptors, facilitating the release of several neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine
Nicotine
94
A type of acetylcholine receptor that responds to nicotine as well as to acetylcholine
- These mediate chiefly the excitatory activities of acetylcholine, including those at neuromuscular junctions
Nicotinic Receptor (nAchR)
95
A visual impairment marked by partial or complete inability to see objects in a dimly lighted environment
- This can be inherited or due to defective dark adaptation or dietary deficiency of vitamin A
Night Blindness
96
A frightening or otherwise disturbing dream, in which fear, sadness, despair, disgust, or some combination of these forms the emotional content
- These contain visual imagery and some degree of narrative structure and typically occur during REM sleep
- The dreamer tends to waken suddenly from this and is immediately alert and aware of his or her surroundings
- The occurrence of frequent nightmares is classified as nightmare disorder
- These are also a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder
Nightmare
97
A compound present in numerous body tissues, where it has a variety of functions: in the brain and other parts of the central nervous system it functions as a neurotransmitter or an agent that influences neurotransmitters
- In peripheral tissues it is involved in the relaxation of smooth muscle, and thus acts as a vasodilator, a bronchodilator, and as a relaxant of smooth muscle in the penis and clitoris, being involved in erection and other components of the sexual response
Nitric Oxide
98
A sensory receptor that responds to stimuli that are generally painful or detrimental to the organism
Nociceptor
99
Active or occurring during the dark period of the daily cycle
Nocturnal
100
1. A point in a graph, tree diagram, or the like at which lines intersect or branch
2. A single point or unit in an associative model of memory
- These typically represent a single concept or feature, are connected to others (usually representing semantically related concepts and features) by links in an associative network, and may be activated or inhibited to varying degrees, depending on the conditions
Node
101
Any of successive regularly spaced gaps in the myelin sheath surrounding an axon
- The gaps permit the exchange of ions across the plasma membrane at those points, allowing the nerve impulses to leap from one node to the next in so called saltation along the axon [Louis A. Ranvier (1835 - 1922), French pathologist]
Node of Ranvier
102
Any unwanted sound or, more generally, any unwanted disturbance (eg; electrical noise), particularly as it interferes with, obscures, reduces, or otherwise adversely affects the clarity or precision of an ongoing process, such as the communication of a message or signal
Noise
103
A systematic classification of technical terms used in an art or science
Nomenclature
104
Numerical values that represent membership in specific categories
- For example, the category male could be labeled 0 and the category female labeled 1, and each person within the population of interest (eg; a particular town) assigned the number corresponding to their sex
- This is similar to categorical data, and the two terms are often used interchangeably
Nominal Data
105
A sequence of numbers that do not indicate order, magnitude, or a true zero point but rather identify items as belonging to mutually exclusive categories
- For example, this for the performance of a specific group of people on a particular test might use the number 1 to denote pass and the number 2 to denote fail
Nominal Scale
106
In stimulus - response experiments, the stimulus as defined and presented by the experimenter
- This may be different from the functional stimulus experienced by the organism
Nominal Stimulus
107
Relating to the formulation of general laws as opposed to the study of the individual case
- This type of approach involves the study of groups of people or cases for the purpose of discovering those general and universally valid laws or principles that characterize the average person or case
Nomothetic
108
Failure of an individual to follow a prescribed therapeutic regimen
- Although this has traditionally been ascribed to oppositional behavior, it is more likely due to inadequate communication between the practitioner and the individual, physical or cognitive limitations that prevent the patient from following therapeutic recommendations (eg; language differences between patient and practitioner, physical disabilities), or adverse effects that are not being adequately addressed
- A primary aspect of health psychology involves methods of reducing this and increasing adherence
Nonadherence
109
A process in which an organism’s behavior toward a specific stimulus changes over time in the absence of any evident link (association) to any consequences that would induce such change
- This is thus based on frequency, while associative learning is based on reinforcement
- There are two major forms of this: habituation and sensitization
Nonassociative Learning
110
A parameter in many probability distributions used in hypothesis testing that has a value different from zero when a sample is obtained from a population whose parameters have values different from those specified by the null hypothesis under test
- This parameter is important in determining the power of a statistical procedure
Noncentrality Parameter
111
Describing anything that is not available to conscious report
Nonconscious
112
The process or circumstances in which a stimulus known to be effective as a reinforcer is presented independently of any particular behavior
Noncontingent Reinforcement
113
A collection of various forms of memory that operate automatically and accumulate information that is not accessible to conscious recollection
- For instance, one can do something faster if one has done it before, even if one cannot recall the earlier performance
Nondeclarative Memory
114
A prediction that one experimental group will differ from another without specification of the expected form of the effect or relationship
- For example, a researcher might hypothesize that college students will perform differently from elementary school students on a memory task
- If he or she were to predict which group of students will perform better, the statement would be a directional hypothesis instead
Nondirectional Hypothesis
115
A nonrandomized design in which the responses of a treatment group and a control group are compared on measures collected at the beginning and end of the research
Nonequivalent Groups Design
116
Research in which the investigator cannot randomly assign units to conditions, cannot control or manipulate the independent variable, and cannot limit the influence of extraneous variables
- Examples of this are studies that deal with the responses of large group to natural disasters or widespread changes in social policy
Nonexperimental Research
117
1. Denoting procedures or tests that do not require puncture or incision of the skin or insertion of an instrument or device into the body for diagnosis or treatment
2. Not capable of spreading from one tissue to another, as in the case of a benign tumor
Noninvasive
118
Describing any relationship between two variables (X and Y) that cannot be expressed in the form Y = a + bX, where a and b are numerical constants
- The relationship therefore does not appear to be a straight line when depicted graphically
Nonlinear
119
Not conforming to or following the norm: deviating from a specific standard of comparison for a person or group of people, particularly one determined by cultural ideals of how things ought to be
- This general term is used in a variety of contexts, referring for example to such things as socially deviant or otherwise distinct behavior, ordinary life events happening at unusual times (eg; a 78 year old man earning his bachelor’s degree), or statistical results that do not reflect the standard of a measured group (ie; values well above or below the mean or some other measure of central tendency)
Nonnormative
120
Statistical tests that do not make assumptions about the distribution of the attribute (or attributes) in the population being tested, such as normality and homogeneity of variance
Nonparametric Statistics
121
Any of a large number of research designs in which sampling units are not assigned to experimental conditions at random
Nonrandomized Design
122
Any generalized state of arousal or motivation that serves functions that are unrelated to preserving physiological homeostasis and thus not necessary for the physical survival of the individual organism, for example, sex or achievement
Nonregulatory Drive
123
Any three letter nonword used in learning and memory research to study learning of items that do not already have meaning or associations with other information in memory
Nonsense Syllable
124
In behavioral genetics analyses, those aspects of an environment that individuals living together (eg; in a family household) do not share and that therefore cause them to become dissimilar to each other
- Examples of these factors include the different friends or teachers that siblings in the same household might have outside of the home
Nonshared Environment
125
The act of conveying information without the use of words
- This occurs through facial expressions, gestures, body language, tone of voice, and other physical indications of mood, attitude, approbation, and so forth, some of which may require knowledge of the culture or subculture to understand
- In psychotherapy, clients' nonverbal communication can be as important to note as their verbal communication
Nonverbal Communication
126
A learning disorder that is characterized by limited skills in critical thinking and deficits in processing nonverbal information
- This affects a child's academic progress as well as other areas of functioning, which may include social competencies, visual spatial abilities, motor coordination, and emotional functioning
Nonverbal Learning Disorder
127
In game theory, a situation in which the rewards and costs experienced by all players do not balance (ie; they add up to less than or more than zero)
- In such a situation, unlike a zero sum game, one player’s gain is not necessarily another player's loss
Nonzero Sum Game
128
Any of various drugs that are used to enhance cognitive function, usually in the treatment of progressive dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease, but also of cognitive dysfunction due to traumatic brain injury
- They do not reverse the course of the dementia, but are reported to slow its progress in mild to moderate forms of the disease
- Many of these drugs work by inhibiting the activity of acetylcholinesterase in the central nervous system, thereby counteracting the disruption of cholinergic neurotransmission
Nootropic
129
Responding to, releasing, or otherwise involving norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
- For example, this type of neuron is one that employs norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter
Noradrenergic
130
A catecholamine neurotransmitter and hormone produced mainly by brainstem nuclei and in the adrenal medulla
Norepinephrine (NE)
131
1. A standard or range of values that represents the typical performance of a group or of an individual (of a certain age, for example) against which comparisons can be made
2. A conversion of a raw score into a scaled score that is more easily interpretable, such as percentiles or IQ scores
Norm
132
Relating to what is considered standard, average, typical, or healthy
- This general meaning is applied in a variety of different contexts, including statistics (referring to scores that are within the usual or expected range), biology (referring to the absence of malformation or other pathology), and development (referring to progression and growth that is comparable to those of similar age)
- The term, however, is most often applied to behavior that conforms to a culturally accepted nom, especially as an indication that a person is mentally healthy and does not have a psychological disorder
Normal
133
A theoretical continuous probability distribution that is a function of two parameters: the expected value,ų, and the variance, ó2
- it is given by (x) = exp(-(x - ų)2/2ó2)]/ó^(2ř)
- This is the type of distribution expected when the same measurement is taken several times and the variation about the mean value is random
- It has certain convenient properties in statistics, and unknown distributions are often assumed to be normal distributions
Normal Distribution
134
A broad concept that is roughly the equivalent of mental health
- Although there are no absolutes and there is considerable cultural variation, some flexible psychological and behavioral criteria can be suggested: (a) freedom from incapacitating internal conflicts; (b) the capacity to think and act in an organized and reasonably effective manner; (c) the ability to cope with the ordinary demands and problems of life; (d) freedom from extreme emotional distress, such as anxiety, despondency, and persistent upset; and (e) the absence of clear cut symptoms of mental disorder, such as obsessions, phobias, confusion, and disorientation
Normality
135
A science at the stage of development when it is characterized by a paradigm consisting of universal agreement about the nature of the science, its practices, assumptions, and methods, and satisfaction with its empirical progress
Normal Science
136
Relating to a norm: pertaining to a particular standard of comparison for a person or group of people, often as determined by cultural ideas of how things ought to be regarding behavior, achievements or abilities, and other areas
- For example, this type of life event, such as marriage or the birth of a child, is one that is expected to occur during a similar period within the life spans of many individuals, and this type of data reflects group averages with regard to particular variables or factors, such as the scores of females on a specific test or the language skills of 10 year olds
Normative
137
An approach to testing based on a comparison of one person's performance with that of a specifically selected norm group on the same test
- This differentiates among individuals and ranks them on the basis of their performance
- For example, a nationally standardized one will indicate how a given person performs compared to the performance of a national sample
Norm Referenced Testing
138
The quality of being new and unusual
- It is one of the major determining factors directing attention
- The attraction to this has been shown to begin as early as 1 year of age; for example, when infants are shown pictures of visual patterns, they will stare longer at a new pattern than at a pattern they have already seen
Novelty
139
Nonrapid eye movement sleep: periods of sleep in which dreaming, as indicated by rapid eye movements (REM), usually does not occur
- During these periods, which occur most frequently in the first hours of sleep, the electroencephalogram shows only minimal activity, and there is little or no change in purse, respiration, and blood pressure
NREM Sleep
140
A family unit consisting of two parents and their dependent children (whether biological or adopted)
- With various modifications, this has been and remains the norm in developed Western societies
Nuclear Family
141
1. A large membrane bound compartment, found in the cans of nonbacterial organisms, that contains the bulk of the cell’s genetic material in the form of chromosomes
2. In the central nervous system, a mass of cell bodies belonging to neurons with the same or related functions
- Examples are the amygdaloid nuclei, the basal nuclei, the thalamic nuclei, and the nucleus accumbens
Nucleus
142
A large mass of cell bodies in the forebrain that receives dopaminergic innervation from the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain and forms part of the limbic system
- Dopamine release in this region may mediate the forcing qualities of many activities, including drug abuse
Nucleus Accumbens
143
The result of an experiment indicating that there is no relationship, or no significant relationship, between variables
Null Finding
144
(Symbol: H0)
The statement that an experiment will find no difference between the experimental and control conditions, that is, no relationship between variables
- Statistical tests are applied to experimental results in an attempt to disprove or reject this at a predetermined significance level
Null Hypothesis
145
Computation of a test of significance to evaluate the tenability of the null hypothesis
Null Hypothesis Significance Testing
146
The health care profession that focuses on the protection and promotion of health through the alleviation and treatment of illness, injury, disease, and physical suffering
- Nurses practice in a variety of contexts, including hospitals, nursing and independent living homes, schools, workplaces, and community centers, among others
Nursing
147
The totality of environmental factors that influence the development and behavior of a person, particularly sociocultural and ecological factors such as family attributes, child rearing practices, and economic status
Nurture
148
Involuntary, rapid movement of the eyeballs
- The eyeball motion may be rotatory, horizontal, vertical, or a mixture
Nystagmus
