In STATISTICS, a test for deciding whether the MEANS of two groups of scores are significantly different.

A technique developed by the American psychologist Charles Osgood for assessing the way in which the same words or ideas are understood by different people. Subjects are asked to rate these terms along dimensions like good-bad or active-passive and these ratings are then compared.

Referring to a physical or behavioural characteristic which increases the probability of survival of an individual or a species.

The mutual influence that people have on each other’s BEHAVIOUR in a social setting.

See MULTIPLE PERSONALITY.

When people are prevented from sleeping they eventually experience ill effects such as HALLUCINATIONS and confusions of thought and BEHAVIOUR. Some scientists engaged in DREAM RESEARCH argue that dreaming is the most important aspect of sleeping and sleep deprivation. Indeed other than dreaming it is difficult to detect any physiological difference between sleeping and just resting.

Used in TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS of acts that demonstrate caring recognition of and attention paid to another person. Analogous to the physical stroking of an infant.

An anthropological term for a living thing, or a symbolic representation of it, which is worshipped by a group of people as a protecting spirit.

The branch of PSYCHOLOGY that deals with the world of work. It includes selection, training, job satisfaction, the environment, the organisation, human relationships in the job and ERGONOMICS.

Any learning with a time interval between practices but which does not necessarily distribute the practices to maximum advantage in the time available, as does DISTRIBUTED PRACTICE.