Glossary page 5 Flashcards
phase advance
going to bed earlier than usual and getting up earlier than usual
– that is, the shift of sleep to an earlier time in the 24-hour cycle
phase delay
going to bed later than usual and getting up later than usual – that
is, the shift of sleep to a later time in the 24-hour cycle
pheromones
chemicals secreted by an animal that influence the behaviour or
development of other animals of the same species
piloting
running a small-scale trial of a research study – before the full study is
conducted – to check that the procedure works and for any problems in the
design
pineal gland
a part of the brain that secretes melatonin
placebo effect
an improvement (usually in health) that is measurable or felt, that is not attributable to a treatment
plagiarism
presenting someone else’s work as your own – a serious academic
offence
population validity
a study has population validity if the results can be extended
beyond the sample to a wider group
predictive validity
the ability of a test or measure to predict something that,
theoretically, it should be able to predict
primary insomnia
where there is no obvious medical or psychological reason for
the failure to sleep, early waking or the failure to get to sleep
probability
how likely it is that something will happen; usually expressed as a
number between 0 and 1
pseudohermaphrodite
someone with typical internal organs but atypical or
ambiguous external genitalia
psychological androgyny
where people are both highly masculine and highly
feminine. It is a psychologically healthy state
psychopathology
branch of psychology concerned with abnormal behaviour
psychotic
relating to psychosis (plural = psychoses), a serious mental disorder
