Glossary 2 Flashcards
A legal decision as to whether person can participate meaningfully in his or her own defense
competency to stand trial.
The irresistible impulse to repeat an irrational act or thought over and over again. Compare obsession.
compulsion.
As applied in behavior genetics, the similarity in psychiatric diagnosis or in other traits within a pair of twins
concordance.
Pattern of extreme disobedience in youngsters, including theft, vandalism, lying, and early drug use
conduct disorder.
A principle observed by lawyers, doctors, pastors, psychologists, and psychiatrists which dictates that the contents of a professional and private relationship not be divulged to anyone else. See also privileged communication.
confidentiality
The extent to which scores or ratings on an assessment instrument relate to other variables or behaviors according to some theory or hypothesis.
construct validity.
Pleasure experienced in-the-moment or in the presence of a pleasurable stimulus. See also anticipatory pleasure
consummatory pleasure.
Those for whom the active condition of the independent variable is not administered, thus forming a baseline against which the effects of the active condition of the independent variable can be evaluated
control group.
A pattern of alcohol consumption that is moderate, avoiding the extremes of total abstinence and of inebriation
controlled drinking.
A disorder in which sensory or motor function is impaired, even though there is no detectable neurological explanation for the deficits.
conversion disorder.
Refers to variation in gene structure involving copy number changes in a defined chromosomal region; could be in the form of a deletion where a copy is deleted or an addition (duplication) where an extra copy is added
copy number variation (CNV).
The large band of nerve fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres
corpus callosum.
The tendency for two variables, such as height and weight, to covary.
correlation.
A statistic ranging in value from -1.00 to +1.00 that measures the degree to which two variables are related. The sign indicates whether the relationship is positive or negative, and the magnitude indicates the strength of the relationship
correlation coefficient.
The research strategy used to establish whether two or more variables are related without manipulating the independent variable. Relationships may be positive - as values for one variable increase those for the other do also - or negative - as values for one variable increase, those for the other decrease. Compare experiment.
correlational method.
A “stress hormone” secreted by the adrenal cortices; helps the body prepare to face threats
cortisol.
A doctoral-level mental health professional whose training is similar to that of a clinical psychologist, though usually with less emphasis on research and serious psychopathology.
counselling psychologist.
A rock-crystal form of cocaine that is heated, melted, and smoked; more often used in poorer urban areas than conventional cocaine.
crack.
A procedure whereby a person is confined in a mental hospital either for determination of competency to stand trial or after acquittal by reason of insanity. Compare civil commitment.
criminal commitment.
Acting on the same neurotransmitter receptors, as methadone does with heroin.
cross-dependent.
Research method that studies offspring who were adopted and reared completely apart from their biological parents, where the adoptive parent has a particular disorder but the biological parent does not thereby introducing the influence of being raised by disordered parents.
cross-fostering.
Studies in which different age groups are compared at the same time. Compare longitudinal design.
cross-sectional design.
Refers to computerized axial tomography, a method of diagnosis in which X-rays are taken from different angles and then analyzed by computer to produce a representation of the part of the body in Cross section
CT or CAT scan.
The capacity of a therapist to understand the patient’s cultural framework and its implications for therapeutic work.
cultural competence.