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APA Dictionary > M > Flashcards

M Flashcards

1
Q

A condition in which the head is abnormally large in relation to the rest of the body

A

Macrocephaly

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2
Q

A relatively large type of nonneural central nervous system cell (glia), including astrocytes, cells of the ependyma, and oligodendrocytes

A

Macroglia

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3
Q

In ecological systems theory, the level of environmental influence that is most distal to the developing individual and that affects all other systems
- It includes the values, traditions, and sociocultural characteristics of the larger society

A

Macrosystem

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4
Q

In hearing, a patch of sensory tissue in the utricle and saccule of the inner ear that provides information about the position of the body in relation to gravity
- This contains sensory hair cells whose processes (stereocilia) are embedded in a gelatinous matrix (cupula) containing calcareous particles (otoliths)
- When the orientation of the head changes, the relatively dense otoliths respond to gravity, causing the gelatinous mass to shift and the stereocilia to flex, which triggers nerve impulses in the hair cell fibers

A

Macula

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5
Q

A small spot in the retina that is in direct alignment with the optics of the eye
- It contains a yellow pigment and a central depression, the fovea centralis

A

Macula Lutea

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6
Q

Dystrophy of the macula lutea, which affects both eyes and causes progressive loss of central vision

A

Macular Degeneration

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7
Q

An obsolete name for mental illness or for legal insanity

A

Madness

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8
Q

The belief that events or the behavior of others can be influenced by one’s thoughts, wishes, or rituals
- This is typical of children up to 4 or 5 years of age, after which reality thinking begins to predominate

A

Magical Thinking

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9
Q

A noninvasive diagnostic technique that uses the responses of hydrogen in tissue molecules to strong magnetic impulses to form a three dimensional picture of body organs and tissues, particularly the brain, with more accuracy than computed tomography

A

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

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10
Q

The measurement of the magnetic fields arising from the electrical activity of the brain, using a device called a magnetoencephalograph

A

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

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11
Q

A psychophysical procedure in which the participant makes subjective judgements of the magnitude of stimuli by assigning them numerical values along a scale

A

Magnitude Estimation

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12
Q

The part of the visual system that projects to or originates from large neurons in the two most ventral layers (the magnocellular layers) of the lateral geniculate nucleus
- It allows the rapid perception of movement, form, and changes in brightness but is relatively insensitive to stimulus location and color

A

Magnocellular System

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13
Q

The consistent total effect of a particular independent variable on a dependent variable over all other independent variables in an experimental design
- It is separate from, but may be obscured by, an interaction effect

A

Main Effect

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14
Q

The placement of children with disabilities into regular classroom environments on a part time basis, such that they attend only some regular education classes during the school day and spend the remaining time in special education classes
- The aim is to offer each child the opportunity to learn in an environment that has the highest probability of facilitating rehabilitation efforts and supporting academic growth

A

Mainstreaming

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15
Q

Repeating items over to maintain them in short term memory, as in repeating a telephone number until it has been dialed
- According to the levels of processing model of memory, this does not effectively promote long term retention because it involves little elaboration of the information to be remembered

A

Maintenance Rehearsal

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16
Q

A depressive disorder in which the individual has experienced at least one major depressive episode but has never experienced a manic episode, mixed episode, or hypomanic episode

A

Major Depressive Disorder

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17
Q

An episode of a mood disorder in which, for at least 2 weeks, the individual has either persistent depressed mood or anhedonia as well as at least four other symptoms
- These other symptoms include: poor or increased appetite with significant weight loss or gain; insomnia or excessive sleep; psychomotor agitation or psychomotor retardation; loss of energy with fatigue; feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt; reduced ability to concentrate or make decisions; and recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, or attempted suicide
- All of these symptoms cause significant distress or impair normal functioning (social, occupational, ect)

A

Major Depressive Episode

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18
Q

A condition in which biological traits or behavior patterns are detrimental, counterproductive, or otherwise interfere with optimal functioning in various domains, such as successful interaction with the environment and effectual coping with the challenges and stresses of daily life

A

Maladaptation

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19
Q

Inability to maintain effective relationships, function successfully in various domains, or cope with difficulties and stresses

A

Maladjustment

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20
Q

A linguistic error in which one word is mistakenly used for another having a similar sound, often to ludicrous effect, as in she was wearing a cream casserole (for camisole)

A

Malapropism

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21
Q

A culture bound syndrome found in Puerto Rico that is similar to amok

A

Mal de pelea

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22
Q

Persistent or recurrent delay in, or absence of, male orgasm during sexual stimulation that produces arousal

A

Male Orgasmic Disorder

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23
Q

Describing a condition that gets progressively worse or is resistant to treatment, particularly a tumor that spreads to other sites by invading and destroying neighboring tissues

A

Malignant

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24
Q

The deliberate feigning of an illness or disability to achieve a particular desired outcome
- For example, it may take the form of faking mental illness as a defense in a trial or faking physical illness to win compensation
- This is distinguished from factitious disorder in that it involves a specific external factor as the motivating force

A

Malingering

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25
Q

Abuse or neglect of another person, which may involve emotional, sexual, or physical action or inaction, the severity or chronicity of which can result in significant harm or injury
- This also includes such actions as exploitation and denial of basic needs (eg; food, shelter, medical attention)

A

Maltreatment

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26
Q

Either of a pair of small, spherical nuclei at the base of the brain, slightly posterior to the infundibulum (pituitary stalk), that are components of the liimbic system

A

Mammillary Body

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27
Q

A diagnostic procedure that uses law dose x ray photography to detect breast tumors or other abnormalities, either noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant)
- The x ray negative produced is called a mammogram

A

Mammography

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28
Q

Any system of health care delivery that regulates the use of member benefits to contain expenses
- The term is also used to denote the organization of health care services and facilities into groups to increase cost effectiveness
- Managed care organizations (MCOs) include HMOs (health maintenance organizations), PPOs (preferred provider organizations), point of service plans (POSs), exclusive provider organizations (EPOs), physician hospital organizations (PHOs), integrated delivery systems (IDSs), and independent practice associations (IPAs)

A

Managed Care

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29
Q

In linguistics, a category of utterances in which the speaker makes demands on the hearer, as in listen to me or pass the salt, please
- According to the behaviorist analysis of language, this form of verbal behavior is reinforced by the compliance of the listener

A

Mand

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30
Q

Excitement, over activity, and psychomotor agitation, often accompanied by impaired judgement

A

Mania

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31
Q

A period lasting at least 1 week characterized by elevated, expansive, or irritable mood with three or more of the following symptoms: an increase in activity or psychomotor agitation; talkativeness; racing thoughts; inflated self esteem or grandiosity; a decreased need for sleep; extreme discratability; and involvement in pleasurable activities that are likely to have unfortunate consequences, such as buying sprees or sexual indiscretions
- All of these symptoms impair normal functioning and relationships with others

A

Manic Episode

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32
Q

In psychoanalytic theory, the images and events of a dream or fantasy as experienced and recalled by the dreamer or fantasist, as opposed to the latent content, which is posited to contain the hidden meaning

A

Manifest Content

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33
Q

A variable that is directly observed or measured, as opposed to one whose value is inferred

A

Manifest Variable

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34
Q

Conscious behavior designed to exploit, control, or otherwise influence others to one’s advantage

A

Manipulation

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35
Q

Any means by which an experimenter evaluates the efficacy of the experimental manipulation, that is, verifies that the manipulation affected the participants as intended

A

Manipulation Check

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36
Q

A non parametric statistical test of centrality for ranked data that contrasts scores from two independent samples sin terms of the probabilities of obtaining the ranking distributions [Henry Berthold Mann (1905 - 2000), Austrian born U.S. mathematician; Donald Ransom Whitney (1915 - 2001), U.S. statistician]

A

Mann Whitney U Test

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37
Q

Any verbal formula used for spiritual, religious, or meditative purposes to block out extraneous thoughts and induce a state of relaxation that enables the individual to reach a deeper level of consciousness

A

Mantra

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38
Q

Interventions that are performed according to specific guidelines for administration, maximizing the probability of therapy being conducted consistently across settings, therapists, and clients

A

Manualized Therapy

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39
Q

A condition of extreme emaciation in infancy, resulting from severe protein energy malnutrition and leading to delayed physical and cognitive development and potentially death
- This tends to occur mostly in developing countries, often as a result of famine

A

Marasmus

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40
Q

A reciprocal process through which an individual or group with relatively distinctive qualities, such as idiosyncratic values or customs, becomes identified as one that is not accepted fully into the larger group

A

Marginalization

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41
Q

A statistic expressing the confidence interval associated with a given measurement; it is an allowance for a slight miscalculation or an acceptable deviation
- The larger the margin of error for the sample data, the less confidence one has that the results obtained are accurate for the entire population of interest

A

Margin of Error

42
Q

Research undertaken to understand the competitive challenges in a particular market by assessing the relative positions of various suppliers in the minds of consumers

A

Market Research

43
Q

In perception, the partial or complete obscuring of one stimulus (the target) by another (the masker)
- The stimuli may be sounds (auditory masking), visual images (visual masking), tastes, odorants, or tactile stimuli
- Forward masking occurs when the masker is presented a short time before the target stimulus, backward masking occurs when it is presented shortly afterward, and simultaneous masking occurs when the two stimuli are presented at the same instant

A

Masking

44
Q

The hierarchy of human motives, or needs, as described by U.S. psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970)
- Physiological needs (air, water, food, sleep, sex, ect) are at the base; followed by safety and security (the safety needs); then love, affection, and gregariousness (the love needs); then prestige, competence, and power (the esteem needs); and, at the highest level, aesthetic needs, the need for knowing, and self actualization (the metaneeds)

A

Maslow’s Motivational Hierarchy

45
Q

The derivation of pleasure from experiencing pain and humiliation
- The term generally denotes sexual masochism but is also applied to other experiences not involving sex, such as martyrdom, religious flagellation, or asceticism
- In psychoanalytic theory, this is interpreted as resulting from the death instinct or from aggression turned inward because of excessive guilt feelings [Leopold Sacher Masoch (1835 - 1895), Austrian writer]

A

Masochism

46
Q

The generalization of U.S. Psychologist Karl S. Lashley (1890 - 1958) that the size of a cortical lesion, rather than its specific location, determines the extent of any resulting performance decrement
- Proposed in 1929 following experimental observations of the effects of different brain lesions on rats’ ability to learn a complex maze, the concept reflects Lashley’s belief that large areas of the cortex function together in learning and other complex processes

A

Mass Action

47
Q

A learning procedure in which material is studied either in a single lengthy session or in sessions separated by short intervals
- This is often found to be less effective than distributed practice

A

Massed Practice

48
Q

An adaptive pattern of achievement behavior in which individuals enjoy and seek challenge, persist in the face of obstacles, and tend to view their failings as due to lack of effort or poor use of strategy rather than to lack of ability

A

Mastery Orientation

49
Q

Manipulation of one’s own genital organs for purposes of sexual gratification

A

Masturbation

50
Q

An experimental design in which experimental and control groups are matched on one or more background variables before being exposed to the experimental or control conditions

A

Matched Group Design

51
Q

A research technique for ensuring comparability of participants by making sure that they all have similar background variables
- The individuals in a control group and in an experimental group might be matched, for example, on years of education, income, and marital status

A

Matching

52
Q

The proposition that people tend to form relationships with individuals who have a similar level of physical attractiveness to their own
- Research indicates that this similarity tends to be greater for couples having a romantic relationship than for friends

A

Matching Hypothesis

53
Q

The philosophical position that everything, including mental events, is composed of physical matter and is thus subject to the laws of physics
- From this perspective, the mind is considered to exist solely as a set of brain processes

A

Materialism

54
Q

Lack of adequate nurturing for a young animal or child due to the absence or premature loss of, or neglect by, its mother or primary caregiver, postulated to negatively impact a child’s emotional development by disrupting attachment formation

A

Maternal Deprivation

55
Q

A learning disorder in which mathematical ability is substantially below what is expected given the person’s chronological age, formal education experience, and measured intelligence
- It may involve difficulties, for example, in counting, learning multiplication tables, or performing mathematical operations

A

Mathematics Disorder

56
Q
  1. A society in which descent and inheritance is matrilineal, that is, traced through the female only
  2. More loosely, a family, group, or society in which women are dominant
A

Matriarchy

57
Q

The biological processes involved in an organism’s becoming functional or fully developed

A

Maturation

58
Q

A state of completed growth or development, as in adulthood

A

Maturity

59
Q

A complex system of intersecting paths and blind alleys that must be navigated from an entrance to an exit
- Various types are used in learning experiments for animals and humans

A

Maze

60
Q

Any of various large neurons in the two most ventral layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus
- These are the origin of the magnocellular system
- The large retinal ganglion cells that provide input to the M cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus are called M ganglion cells

A

M Cell

61
Q

3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine: a catecholamine like hallucinogen with amphetamine like stimulant properties that is among the most commonly used illicit drugs, generally sold under the name ecstasy
- Taken orally, onset of effects is rapid; the high lasts several hours, and residual effects can be experienced for several days
- Intoxication is characterized by euphoria, feelings of closeness and spirituality, and diverse symptoms of autonomic arousal

A

MDMA

62
Q

(Symbol: X; M)
The numerical average of a batch of scores (Xi): the most widely used statistic for describing central tendency
- It is computed as:
X = (£Xi)/n, where n is the number of scores; that is, the scores are added up, and the total is divided by the number of scores

A

Mean

63
Q

For a set of numbers, a measure of dispersion or spread equal to the average of the differences between each number and the mean value
- It is given by (£|xi - ųl)/n, where ų is the mean value and n the number of values

A

Mean Deviation

64
Q

A measure of language development in young children based on the mean length of utterances in their spontaneous speech
- It is usually calculated by counting morphemes rather than words, and is based on at least 100 successive utterances

A

Mean Length of Utterance

65
Q

A technique to solve problems that sets up subgoals as means to achieve the goals lends) and compares subgoals and goals using a recursive goal reduction search procedure
- This originated in artificial intelligence and expanded into human cognition as a general problem solving strategy

A

Means Ends Analysis

66
Q

A sum of squares divided by its degrees of freedom
- This is a variance estimator

A

Mean Square

67
Q

The act of appraising the extent of some amount, dimension, or criterion - or the resultant descriptive or quantified appraisal itself - often, but not always, expressed as a numerical value

A

Measurement

68
Q

A difference between an observed measurement and the true value of the parameter being measured that is attributable to flaws or biases in the measurement process

A

Measurement Error

69
Q

The degree of specificity, accuracy, and precision reflected in a particular set of observations or measurements
- Examples of common levels of measurement include nominal scales, ordinal scales, interval scales, and ratio scales

A

Measurement Level

70
Q

A statistical modeling technique that quantifies the association between observations obtained during research (observed indicators) and theoretical underlying constructs
- In contrast with a structural equation model, this specifies the relationships between observed indicators and the latent variables that support or affect them

A

Measurement Model

71
Q

Any of four methods for quantifying attributes of variables during the course of research, listed in order of increasing power and complexity: nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale, and ratio scale

A

Measurement Scale

72
Q

The assumption that psychological processes and behaviors can ultimately be understood in the same way that mechanical or physiological processes are understood
- Its explanations of human behavior are based on the model or metaphor of a machine, reducing complex psychological phenomena to simpler physical phenomena

A

Mechanistic Theory

73
Q

A receptor that is sensitive to mechanical forms of stimuli
- Examples of this are the receptors in the ear that translate sound waves into nerve impulses, the touch receptors in the skin, and the receptors in the joints and muscles

A

Mechanoreceptor

74
Q

Toward or at the middle of the body or of an organ

A

Medial

75
Q

A collection of nerve fibers passing through the midline of the forebrain to the hypothalamus
- It provides the chief pathway for reciprocal connections between the hypothalamus and the biogenic amine systems of the brainstem

A

Medial Forebrain Bundle

76
Q

Either of two small oval clusters of nerve cell bodies in the thalamus, just medial to the lateral geniculate nucleus, that receive information from the inferior colliculus and relay it to the auditory complex

A

Medial Geniculate Nucleus

77
Q

Either of a pair of somatosensory tracts in the midbrain carrying fibers from the spinal cord that communicate with the thalamus

A

Medial Lemniscus

78
Q

The score that divides a distribution into two equal sized halves

A

Median

79
Q

A nonparametric statistical procedure that tests the equality of the medians in two or more samples

A

Median Test

80
Q

In dispute resolution, use of a neutral outside person - the mediator - to help the contending parties communicate and reach a compromise
- The process of this has gained popularity, for example for couples involved in separation or divorce proceedings

A

Mediation

81
Q

In problem solving, inability to make use of a particular strategy to benefit task performance even if it is taught to a person

A

Mediational Deficiency

82
Q

The concept that mental and emotional problems are analogous to biological problems, that is, they have detectable, specific, physiological causes (eg; an abnormal gene or damaged cell) and are amenable to cure or improvement by specific treatment

A

Medical Model

83
Q

Profound and extended contemplation or reflection, sometimes in order to attain an altered state of consciousness
- Traditionally associated with spiritual and religious exercises, it is now increasingly also used to provide relaxation and relief from stress

A

Meditation

84
Q

The central or innermost region of an organ, such as the adrenal medulla

A

Medulla

85
Q

The most inferior (lowest), or caudal (tailward), part of the hindbrain
- It contains many nerve tracts that conduct impulses between the spinal cord and higher brain centers, as well as autonomic nuclei involved in the control of breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure

A

Medulla Oblongata

86
Q

A highly inflated conception of one’s importance, power, or capabilities

A

Megalomania

87
Q

A special type of division of the cell nucleus that occurs during the formation of the sex cells - ova and spermatozoa
- During this, a parental cell in the gonad produces four daughter cells that are all haploid, that is, they possess only one of each chromosome, instead of the diploid complement of homologous pairs of chromosomes
- During the process of fertilization, the ova and spermatozoa undergo fusion, which restores the double set of chromosomes within the nucleus of the zygote thus formed

A

Meiosis

88
Q

An archaic name for depression

A

Melancholia

89
Q

A hormone, produced mainly by the pineal gland as a metabolic product of the neurotransmitter serotonin, that helps to regulate seasonal changes in physiology and may also influence puberty
- It is implicated in the initiation of sleep and in the regulation of the sleep wake cycle

A

Melatonin

90
Q

A thin layer of tissue that covers a surface, lines a cavity, or connects or divides anatomical spaces or organs
- One of the fundamental functions of a membrane is to contain the components within it
- In cells, the membrane surrounds the cytoplasm and is composed of proteins and lipids
- It is semipermeable, and acts to control the passage of substances in and out of the cell

A

Membrane

91
Q

A difference in electrical potential across a membrane, especially the plasma membrane of a cell

A

Membrane Potential

92
Q

A unit of practice or belief through which a society or culture evolves and that passes from one generation to the next
- In this sense the term (derived from the Greek word for “imitation”) is a kind of metaphorical parallel to the term gene

A

Meme

93
Q
  1. The ability to retain information or a representation of past experience, based on the mental processes of learning or encoding, retention across some interval of time, and retrieval or reactivation of the memory
  2. Specific information or a specific past experience that is recalled
  3. The hypothesized part of the brain where traces of information and past experiences are stored
A

Memory

94
Q

The number of items that can be recalled immediately after one presentation
- Usually, the items consist of letters, words, numbers, or syllables that the participant must reproduce in order
- A distinction may be drawn between visual type and auditory type, depending on the nature of the presentation

A

Memory Span

95
Q

A hypothetical modification of the nervous system that encodes a representation of information or experience

A

Memory Trace

96
Q

The first incidence of menstruation in a female, marking the onset of puberty
- The age at which this occurs varies among individuals and cultures

A

Menarche

97
Q

A type of inheritance that conforms to the basic principles developed around 1865 by Austrian monk Gregor Mendel (1822 - 1884), regarded as the founder of genetics
- This is essentially determined by genes located on chromosomes, which are transmitted from both parents to their offspring
- It includes autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and sex linked inheritance

A

Mendelian Inheritance

98
Q

The three membranous layers that provide a protective cover for the brain and spinal cord
- They consist of a tough outer dura mater, a middle arachnoid mater, and a thin, transparent pia mater, which fits over the various contours and fissures of the cerebral cortex

A

Meninges

99
Q

A benign brain tumor that develops in the arachnoid layer of the meninges
- These are typically slow growing and cause damage mainly by pressure against the brain

A

Meningioma

100
Q

A modified estrous cycle that occurs in most primates, including humans (in which it averages about 28 days)
- The events of the cycle are dependent on cyclical changes in the concentrations of gonadotropins secreted by the anterior pituitary grand, under the control of gonadotropin releasing hormone, and can be divided into two phases
- In the follicular phase, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone stimulate development of an ovum and secretion of estrogen within the ovary, culminating in ovulation
- The estrogen stimulates thickening of the endometrium (lining) of the uterus in preparation to receive a fertilized ovum
- The luteal phase begins immediately after ovulation and is characterized by the formation of the corpus luteum, a yellowish glandular mass that inhibits further secretion of releasing hormone (and hence of FSH and LH)
- If fertilization does not occur, this phase ends with menstruation and a repeat of the follicular phase

A

Menstrual Cycle

APA Dictionary (13 decks)

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