Glossary of Psychological Terms
Definitions of terms used in psychology, psychometric testing and occupational assessment, organised alphabetically.
Kent-Rosanoff test
A word association test consisting of 100 stimulus words, accompanied by a standardised list showing the relative frequency of people's typical responses to each — used to help identify unusual or clinically significant associations.
Kinaesthetic
Relating to the sense that registers the movement and position of the body and limbs, relying on receptors in muscles, tendons and joints. See also: proprioceptors.
Kinsey report
The first large-scale scientific survey of human sexual behaviour, conducted in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s by biologist Alfred Kinsey. Still regarded by some as a groundbreaking and illuminating body of work, despite substantial criticism of its sampling methods and methodology.
Kinship system
In anthropology, the network of family relationships within a society and the behaviours, obligations and roles associated with each type of relationship.
Klein, Melanie (1882-1960)
A pioneering figure in the psychoanalysis of children and in research on depression. Kleinian analysts continue to regard themselves as fundamentally Freudian while diverging from classical Freudian theory on several major points, particularly around early infantile object relations.
Kleptomania
A compulsion to steal, often items of little practical value or need, thought to reflect an underlying psychological disturbance rather than material want. See also: mania.
Köhler, Wolfgang (1887-1967)
One of the founding figures of Gestalt psychology, best known for his research on insight learning in apes, during which he documented the sudden “aha reaction” as chimpanzees solved problems by apparent flashes of understanding rather than trial and error.
Korsakoff's syndrome
A severe memory disorder involving pronounced amnesia, most commonly caused by chronic alcoholism (specifically thiamine deficiency), first described in the nineteenth century by Russian neuropsychiatrist Sergei Korsakoff.
Kuder Preference Record
A questionnaire designed to identify a person's areas of vocational interest, developed by American psychologist G. Frederic Kuder, and an early forerunner of modern career interest inventories.
