Glossary / V

Psychology terms starting with V

530 terms with short definitions. Study these as flashcards

Vabbreviation
In test scores, this abbreviation stands for verbal ability, or how well someone uses words.
V1abbreviation
Visual area 1 is the brain's first cortical station for visual input, detecting basic features such as edges.
V2abbreviation
Visual area 2 is a brain region beside V1 that receives much of its visual information from V1.
V3abbreviation
Visual area 3 is a brain region beyond V2 involved in processing visual patterns, including patterns without color.
V4abbreviation
Visual area 4 is a brain region that helps process color and other features of what we see.
V5abbreviation
Visual area 5 is a brain region that helps detect how fast things move and where they are heading.
VAabbreviation
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs supports former military personnel and eligible family members through healthcare and benefits.
VABSabbreviation
The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales assess everyday functioning, including communication, practical tasks, social interaction, and movement skills.
vACCabbreviation
Called ventral anterior cingulate cortex, this brain area helps process feelings and pain and manage automatic body functions.
vacuum activitynoun
In historical animal behavior theory, an inborn action sequence occurs even though its usual triggering signal is absent.
vagabond neurosisnoun
An outdated label described an overpowering urge to travel that disrupted work, relationships, or financial stability.
vagal tonenoun
The amount the heart rate naturally shifts with breathing, showing calming input from the vagus nerve.
vaginanoun
A flexible muscular passage connects the cervix, at the lower end of the uterus, with an opening outside the body.
vagina dentatanoun
A folklore image depicts a toothed vagina, which historical psychoanalytic theories interpreted through ideas about genital fear or envy.
vagina envynoun
A psychoanalytic idea proposes that some men envy the ability to carry pregnancies and give birth.
vaginal administrationnoun
Medicine is placed inside the vagina so it can act locally or be absorbed through the lining.
vaginal orgasmnoun
A sexual climax occurs with vaginal stimulation, which can also stimulate internal parts of the clitoris indirectly.
vaginal plethysmographnoun
A research instrument measures changes in blood within vaginal tissue as one indicator of physical sexual arousal.
vaginal sexnoun
Sexual activity involves penetration of the vagina, commonly by a penis.
vaginismusnoun
Muscles surrounding the vagina tighten involuntarily when penetration is attempted or anticipated, making it difficult, painful, or impossible.
vagotomynoun
During this operation, a surgeon cuts or otherwise interrupts vagal nerve fibers that carry messages between brain and organs.
vagus nervenoun
A cranial nerve that carries body signals and helps slow organs during the parasympathetic calming response.
VAKTabbreviation
The letters represent visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile: sight, sound, movement, and touch combined in teaching approaches such as Fernald reading instruction.
valencenoun
The felt pull or push of a person, object, or goal based on how rewarding it seems.
valence–instrumentality–expectancy theorynoun
A motivation theory links work effort to expected success, expected rewards for success, and how much those rewards matter.
validating marriagenoun
A lasting marriage includes partners who show respect for each other while working through disagreements.
validationnoun
Checking whether a test or measure truly assesses what it is supposed to assess.
validitynoun
How well evidence shows a test or assessment really supports the conclusion you make from its scores.
validity checknoun
Researchers examine data for mistakes, missing entries, impossible values, and failures to follow expected rules.
validity coefficientphrase
A correlation showing how well a test score predicts an accepted real-world outcome or standard.
validity criterionphrase
An outside standard used to judge whether a test really measures what it claims to measure.
validity generalizationphrase
Shows whether a test stays accurate across different groups, places, and situations by combining many studies.
validity tagnoun
In a model of attitudes, a mental label marks a positive or negative judgment as true or false.
Valiumnoun
A brand name for diazepam identifies a benzodiazepine medicine used for anxiety, seizures, muscle spasms, and alcohol withdrawal.
valornoun
A person shows courage by facing a difficult challenge despite meaningful risks or fear.
valproic acidnoun
A medicine used to control seizures and manic episodes by calming overactive brain signals.
VALSabbreviation
Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyles is a proprietary questionnaire system that sorts consumers into eight groups using personal characteristics.
valuenoun
Personal or shared beliefs about what is good, important, and worth choosing or working for.
value analysisnoun
Researchers systematically count expressions of selected values in written material to study which values appear and how often.
value judgmentphrase
A personal evaluation based on someone's beliefs about what matters, not on objective facts alone.
value systemnoun
A person's or group's beliefs about what matters, is right, and is worth choosing.
value-driven carenoun
A U.S. healthcare approach seeks better care at lower cost through public quality information, informed choices, and shared incentives.
value-expressive function of an attitudenoun
An attitude helps someone express deeply held principles and show what matters most to them.
value-free evaluationnoun
An evaluator studies a program's actual effects without knowing its stated aims, helping uncover unexpected benefits or problems.
Values and Preferences Scale (VPS)noun
A 24-item questionnaire gathers a person with cognitive impairment's everyday priorities and caregiver perspectives to help plan care.
values clarificationphrase
Activities that help a person notice what matters most to them and how those beliefs guide choices.
values educationnoun
Teaching helps learners understand and practice moral principles, ethical qualities, and ways of living considered desirable within a community.
Values, Attitudes, and Lifestylesnoun
A proprietary system called VALS uses questionnaire answers about personal characteristics to classify consumers into eight groups.
vampirismnoun
In clinical descriptions, drinking blood may be associated with sexual excitement or unusual beliefs resembling vampire stories.
van Buchem’s syndromenoun
An inherited disorder causes excessive bone thickening that can compress nerves and affect facial movement, hearing, or vision.
vandalismnoun
Someone deliberately damages, destroys, or spoils property belonging to another person or the community.
Vandenbergh effectnoun
Chemical scents from adult rodents can change puberty timing in young females, with male odors often speeding development.
vanishing cues methodologynoun
Computer-assisted training helps people with memory difficulties learn by gradually removing hints as they become able to answer independently.
vapingnoun
Breathing in nicotine or other chemicals as a mist from an electronic cigarette or similar device.
variabilitynoun
How spread out scores or people are, showing how much they differ from one another.
variablenoun
Anything measured or grouped that can change from one person, thing, or condition to another.
variable errornoun
Chance influences cause measurements to differ unpredictably from the true value, without a consistent direction of error.
variable rate theorynoun
A group of aging theories explains different aging speeds through bodily processes, disease, environmental conditions, and everyday habits.
variable stimulusnoun
In sensory research, a stimulus with an adjustable property is compared with a fixed standard.
variable-interval schedule (VI schedule)noun
A reinforcement rule rewards the first response once a changing waiting period has passed since the last reward.
variable-ratio schedule (VR schedule)phrase
Gives a reward after an unpredictable number of actions, centered around a set average.
variable-time schedule (VT schedule)noun
A stimulus is delivered after changing lengths of time, regardless of what the person or animal does.
variancenoun
How spread out scores are around the average in a group or sample.
variance estimatenoun
A calculation from sample data estimates how widely population values spread around their mean, using squared distances.
variance-stabilizing transformationnoun
A mathematical change to data makes their spread more similar across groups or measurement levels, supporting statistical analysis.
variance–covariance matrixnoun
A square table lists each variable's variance along its diagonal and pairs of variables' covariances in the remaining cells.
variantnoun
One version of something that stays mostly the same but has a meaningful difference.
variatenoun
In statistics, this can mean an observed value of a variable or a random variable itself.
variationnoun
Differences among individuals in traits, behavior, body features, or functioning can come from genes or life experiences.
variation coefficientnoun
A measure of relative spread divides the standard deviation by the mean, sometimes expressing the result as a percentage.
variations of agingnoun
People experience aging differently because of influences within their bodies and in their surroundings and daily lives.
varicellanoun
An infection commonly called chickenpox spreads easily and usually causes itchy blisters, fever, and tiredness.
varicella-zosternoun
This virus causes chickenpox and can remain inactive in nerves before becoming active again as shingles.
varied mappingnoun
A search experiment randomly switches which items count as targets and which count as distractions across attempts.
varietynoun
Having different tasks or experiences in a job, which can make work more interesting and motivating.
variform universalnoun
A proposed psychological feature exists across cultures but appears in different forms depending on the culture.
varimax rotationnoun
A statistical method makes patterns linking measurements to underlying factors clearer while keeping the factors uncorrelated.
vas deferensnoun
A muscular tube transports sperm from their storage site, the epididymis, toward the duct used during ejaculation.
vas-prefix
This word part indicates a blood vessel or the sperm-carrying tube called the vas deferens.
vascular dementiaphrase
A major drop in thinking and memory caused by reduced blood flow or strokes in the brain.
vascular depressionnoun
A proposed form of major depression is linked to cardiovascular disease and may especially involve losing enjoyment.
vascular insufficiencynoun
The circulation fails to supply enough blood to meet the needs of some body tissues.
vascular sclerosisnoun
Blood vessel walls become thicker and harder, sometimes contributing to reduced hearing as people age.
vasculitisnoun
Blood vessel walls become inflamed, which can interfere with healthy circulation.
vasectomynoun
A surgical procedure blocks the tubes transporting sperm, providing contraception intended to be permanent.
vaso- (vas-)prefix
This combining form signals a blood vessel or, in some words, the tube that carries sperm.
vasoconstrictionnoun
Muscles in vessel walls tighten, making blood passages narrower and often raising pressure within the circulation.
vasoconstrictornoun
A substance or nerve signal makes blood vessels narrower by causing muscles in their walls to tighten.
vasodilationnoun
Muscles in vessel walls relax, allowing blood passages to widen and often reducing blood pressure.
vasodilatornoun
A substance widens blood vessels, usually by relaxing muscles in their walls.
vasomotoradjective
Something described this way influences how wide blood vessels become by changing tension in their walls.
vasopressinnoun
A hormone that helps the body save water and raises blood pressure during stress.
vasopressoradjective
Something described this way raises blood pressure by making blood vessels narrower.
vasovagal syncopenoun
A nervous system reflex briefly causes fainting by lowering blood pressure, often with a slower heartbeat.
Vater’s corpusclenoun
A layered sensory nerve ending, also called a Pacinian corpuscle, detects vibration and rapidly changing pressure.
VCPabbreviation
Visual comfort probability estimates what percentage of people would find a room's glare acceptable.
VDabbreviation
The abbreviation stands for venereal disease, an older name for infections passed through sexual contact.
vectionnoun
Moving surroundings can create an illusion that a stationary observer or object is moving.
vectornoun
A mathematical quantity has both size and direction, or represents an ordered list of values in data analysis.
Vedantanoun
A family of Hindu philosophical traditions draws on the Upanishads to explore reality, the self, and consciousness.
vegetarian dietnoun
An eating pattern excludes meat, poultry, and seafood while sometimes including eggs or dairy foods.
vegetativeadjective
This describes basic bodily processes that maintain life, including digestion, growth, and regulation of internal conditions.
vegetative soulnoun
Aristotle proposed that plants possess a life principle enabling growth and reproduction without sensation or reasoning.
vegetative statenoun
A person has periods of wakefulness but shows no reliable behavioral evidence of awareness of themselves or their surroundings.
vegetotherapynoun
Wilhelm Reich's historical therapy connected emotional difficulties with bodily tension and proposed that releasing sexual tension restored well-being.
velaradjective
This describes the soft palate or speech sounds produced with the tongue's back approaching or touching it.
velocity of conductionnoun
The measurement describes how quickly an electrical signal travels through a nerve cell's axon.
Velten techniquenoun
A mood-changing procedure asks people to read personal statements and consider them as descriptions of their own experiences.
velumnoun
An anatomical sheet resembles a veil; in speech anatomy, the word names the soft palate.
velum palatinumnoun
The soft, movable rear section of the mouth's roof helps separate nasal and oral passages during speech and swallowing.
venereal disease (VD)noun
An older medical name describes infections that can pass between people through sexual contact.
venesectionnoun
Blood is withdrawn from a vein to obtain a test sample or treat certain medical conditions.
venirenoun
A group of community members is assembled as potential jurors before a trial jury is chosen.
venlafaxinenoun
A medicine that raises serotonin and norepinephrine and treats depression and some anxiety problems.
Venn diagramnoun
Overlapping circles show which items belong to different groups and which belong to more than one group.
venous thrombosisnoun
A clot forms within a vein and can partially or completely obstruct blood flow.
ventilationnoun
Openly letting out feelings during therapy so emotions can be expressed without holding back.
ventr-prefix
This anatomical word part indicates a position toward the belly or front side of the body.
ventraladjective
Toward the belly side, or the front side, of a human or animal body.
ventral amygdalofugal pathwaynoun
A major nerve route carries amygdala signals to the hypothalamus and other forebrain and brainstem regions.
ventral anterior cingulate cortexphrase
A lower front brain area that helps manage emotions and calm the body's alarm system.
ventral anterior nucleusnoun
A thalamic cell group relays signals from basal ganglia toward cortical areas involved in planning and controlling movement.
ventral hornnoun
A front region of spinal gray matter contains motor neurons that send commands to skeletal muscles.
ventral lateral nucleusnoun
A thalamic relay passes cerebellar signals toward movement-related cortex, helping coordinate muscle activity.
ventral posterior cingulate cortexnoun
The lower subdivision of the posterior cingulate cortex belongs to networks involved in memory and internally focused thought.
ventral rootnoun
A bundle of motor nerve fibers exits the spinal cord at its front surface and carries commands outward.
ventral streamnoun
A visual processing route connects occipital and temporal brain regions, helping identify objects through features such as shape and color.
ventral tegmental areanoun
A midbrain region that sends dopamine cells to reward and thinking pathways.
ventral white commissurenoun
A bundle of insulated nerve fibers crosses the spinal cord near its front, connecting its left and right sides.
ventriclenoun
One of four connected chambers inside the brain holds fluid that helps cushion and support nervous tissue.
ventricular puncturenoun
A surgical procedure accesses a brain ventricle to collect fluid, deliver medicine, or relieve pressure inside the skull.
ventricular systemnoun
Connected brain chambers and their passages hold cerebrospinal fluid and allow it to circulate into surrounding spaces.
ventricular zonenoun
A layer bordering the developing brain's fluid chambers contains dividing cells that produce neurons and supporting cells.
ventriculoatrial shuntnoun
An implanted tube drains extra cerebrospinal fluid from brain chambers into the heart's right atrium through a vein.
ventriculomegalynoun
A ventricle, usually a fluid chamber within the brain, is larger than expected.
ventriculostomynoun
A surgeon creates an opening in a brain ventricle so cerebrospinal fluid can drain or bypass a blockage.
ventriloquism effectnoun
Seeing a likely source makes a sound seem to come from that location, even when it originates elsewhere.
ventro- (ventr-)prefix
This word part indicates the belly side or front region of a body or structure.
ventrodorsaladjective
An anatomical direction runs from the body's front or belly side toward its back.
ventromedial hypothalamic syndromenoun
Experimental damage to an animal's ventromedial hypothalamus produces overeating and weight gain, followed by stable weight and more selective eating.
ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)phrase
A small brain area that helps signal fullness and regulate body temperature.
ventromedial nucleusnoun
A cluster of nerve cells in the hypothalamus helps regulate eating, sexual behavior, and related bodily responses.
ventromedial pathwaynoun
One of four descending nerve routes carries movement signals that help control posture, balance, and head or trunk movements.
ventroposterior nucleusnoun
A thalamic nerve-cell group passes sensory signals from the face and body to the cortex for processing bodily sensations.
venue samplingnoun
A research method reaches difficult-to-contact groups by sampling people at randomly chosen gathering places during planned time periods.
VEPabbreviation
A visual evoked potential is an electrical brain response to something seen, measured using electrodes placed on the scalp.
verapamilnoun
A medicine blocks calcium channels to treat high blood pressure and certain abnormal heart rhythms.
veratrinenoun
A toxic mixture of plant alkaloids was historically used medicinally and can affect nerve activity and muscle contractions.
verbnoun
A word or phrase that shows action, happening, or being and carries tense in a sentence.
verbal ability (V)noun
The skill to understand words and use them clearly when speaking or writing.
verbal abusenoun
Spoken or written language is used to humiliate, intimidate, or severely belittle another person.
verbal alexianoun
A brain-related reading impairment leaves someone able to recognize individual letters but unable to recognize complete written words.
verbal amnesianoun
A neurological condition causes difficulty remembering words that a person previously knew.
verbal aphasianoun
An acquired language difficulty caused by brain damage mainly affects producing speech or writing.
verbal apraxianoun
A speech difficulty involves planning and sequencing the movements needed for speaking, despite sufficient muscle strength.
verbal behaviorphrase
Using words through speaking, listening, reading, or writing, shaped by learning and other people's responses.
verbal behavior therapynoun
An approach based on applied behavior analysis uses prompts and reinforcement to teach communication, often to autistic children.
verbal communicationphrase
Sending messages with spoken or written words, rather than only gestures, tone, or facial expressions.
verbal comprehensionphrase
Understanding spoken language by knowing word meanings and taking in what others say.
Verbal Comprehension Indexphrase
A score on Wechsler tests estimating understanding of words, language knowledge, and verbal reasoning.
verbal conditioningnoun
Reinforcement, such as praise or attention, changes how often someone produces a particular word or other language response.
verbal deprivation hypothesisnoun
A controversial historical proposal linked limited exposure to formal language with difficulties in school achievement and thinking.
verbal factornoun
A hidden ability estimated through factor analysis helps explain why performance on different language tasks tends to be related.
verbal fluency testnoun
A timed assessment asks someone to produce as many words as possible that follow a given rule.
verbal intelligencephrase
Skill in using words well to communicate clearly and solve problems.
verbal IQphrase
A score on intelligence tests estimating language-based thinking, shaped by education, experience, and test effort.
verbal leakagenoun
Unintended features of speech are interpreted as revealing thoughts, feelings, or motives someone has tried to keep private.
verbal learningnoun
People learn and remember language-based material, including words, letters, numbers, and invented syllables.
verbal masochismnoun
A historical label describes sexual excitement associated with hearing insulting or humiliating language.
verbal memoryphrase
The ability to remember words or language that you heard or read before.
verbal narrativenoun
A person tells an event or experience aloud, often organizing what happened and how it felt.
verbal overshadowingnoun
Describing something in words can sometimes make later recognition or memory of the original experience less accurate.
verbal paraphasianoun
A language disturbance causes someone to produce an unintended word or phrase in place of the intended expression.
verbal protocolnoun
Researchers ask people to describe their thoughts and experiences aloud while completing a task.
verbal protocol analysisnoun
Researchers examine records of people thinking aloud during tasks to investigate the mental processes involved.
verbal reportnoun
A person uses words to describe their own experiences, thoughts, feelings, or perceptions.
verbal satiationnoun
A historical behavioral technique paired repeated spoken sexual fantasies with continued masturbation, aiming to reduce arousal without sound evidence of effectiveness.
verbal testnoun
An assessment requires understanding, using, or working with words to complete its tasks.
verbal thoughtnoun
Thinking uses language to guide reasoning, with Vygotsky proposing that children's spoken self-guidance develops into silent inner speech.
verbalizationnoun
Putting thoughts, feelings, and fantasies into words, especially during talk therapy.
verbally governed behaviornoun
Actions are guided by instructions, stated rules, or a person's own language-based thinking.
verbatim recallnoun
Someone remembers language using the original words in their original order.
verbatim tracephrase
A memory for the exact words, numbers, or details of an experience, not just its general meaning.
verbigerationnoun
Someone repeatedly says particular words or phrases without an apparent meaningful purpose.
vergencenoun
The eyes rotate in opposite directions to align their views on an object at a particular distance.
veridicaladjective
Describes a memory or belief that matches what really happened in the outside world.
veridical hallucinationnoun
In parapsychology, a hallucination is claimed to depict an event that later evidence confirms actually occurred.
veridical perceptionnoun
A person's sensory experience accurately matches relevant features of the real world.
verificationnoun
Checking whether a claim is true by using objective facts and careful evidence.
verification timenoun
Researchers measure how long someone takes to judge a statement's truth or decide whether something meets a specified condition.
verisimilitudenoun
A claim appears true, or a scientific explanation more closely matches established evidence than competing explanations.
vermisnoun
A central strip of cerebellar tissue sits between its two hemispheres and helps coordinate posture and movement.
vernacularnoun
The language or dialect a community uses in ordinary conversation expresses its everyday ways of speaking.
Versednoun
A brand name for midazolam identifies a medicine that produces brief sedation, mainly during medical procedures.
verstehende Psychologiephrase
Dilthey's proposed approach studies what lived experiences mean to individuals, emphasizing personal understanding over explanations based on natural laws.
vertebral arterynoun
This blood vessel travels upward through the neck, then meets its opposite partner inside the skull, creating the basilar artery.
vertebral columnnoun
The backbone is a connected chain of bones that supports the body and surrounds the spinal cord.
vertex potentialnoun
An electrical brain response measured at the scalp's highest point can follow various stimuli and appears linked to attention.
vertical décalagenoun
Piaget proposed that children's thinking develops through stages in a fixed order, although the timing can differ.
vertical groupnoun
A social group includes members whose backgrounds belong to different social classes.
vertical job enlargementnoun
A job expands to include harder tasks, greater responsibility, and more freedom to make decisions.
vertical loadingphrase
Adding higher-level duties and more control to a job so the worker has greater responsibility.
vertical mobilitynoun
People or groups move into a higher or lower social class or level of economic standing.
vertical transmissionnoun
An infection passes from a parent to their offspring, including passage across the placenta during pregnancy.
vertical–horizontal illusionnoun
An upright line appears longer than a sideways line even though their actual lengths match.
vertigonoun
Someone experiencing this feels themselves or nearby objects moving when no such movement is happening, often with a spinning feeling.
very low birth weight (VLBW)noun
A baby falls into this birth weight category when weighing under 1,500 grams, regardless of pregnancy length.
vesiclenoun
A tiny fluid-filled sac in cells, such as one that stores neurotransmitters before release.
vested interestnoun
The degree to which someone believes an issue affects their own money or resources can strengthen their attitude.
vestibular adaptationnoun
Repeated head movement can reduce the balance system's response to similar stimulation over time.
vestibular apparatusnoun
Structures inside the ear detect head movement and position using three semicircular canals and two sensory sacs.
vestibular glandsnoun
Glands near the vaginal opening release fluid that helps keep the surrounding genital tissues lubricated.
vestibular illusionnoun
Misleading signals from the balance system create a mistaken sense of movement or position in space.
vestibular membranenoun
A delicate tissue sheet separates the cochlea's upper fluid chamber, the scala vestibuli, from its middle chamber, the scala media.
vestibular nervenoun
A branch of cranial nerve eight carries balance information from inner-ear sensors to centers in the brainstem.
vestibular nucleinoun
Clusters of brainstem nerve cells receive balance signals and relay information that helps coordinate posture and spatial orientation.
vestibular nystagmusnoun
Balance-system stimulation causes repeating eye movements that drift slowly one way, then quickly reset the other way.
vestibular receptorsnoun
Specialized sensory hair cells inside the ear detect head motion and gravity, helping provide information for balance.
vestibular sacsnoun
The utricle and saccule are inner-ear structures that sense head tilt relative to gravity and changes in straight-line motion.
vestibular sensenoun
Information about head movement and position helps you keep your balance while resting or moving.
vestibular systemnoun
Inner-ear sensors, connecting nerves, and brain regions work together to support balance, posture, and awareness of movement.
vestibulenoun
In job training, a separate practice area is set up to look and feel like the real workplace.
vestibule trainingphrase
New workers practice in a separate space that closely copies the real job setting.
vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR)noun
Balance signals automatically adjust eye movements during head motion, helping keep your gaze steady without needing visual input.
vestibulocochlear nervenoun
Cranial nerve eight carries hearing and balance signals from the inner ear toward the brainstem through two branches.
vestibulospinal tractnoun
A nerve-fiber pathway carries balance commands from brainstem vestibular centers down into the spinal cord to help adjust posture.
vestigial body imagenoun
A person's mental picture of their body stays partly unchanged even after their physical appearance changes.
vestured genital appositionnoun
Sexual contact involves partners pressing or rubbing their genital areas together while keeping clothing between them.
VFDTabbreviation
In assessment, these initials mean Visual Form Discrimination Test, which measures the ability to notice differences between shapes.
VIabbreviation
A reinforcement schedule giving rewards after changing time periods for the first correct response.
vibrationnoun
A feeling that part of the body is buzzing, trembling, or shaking, sometimes without visible movement.
vibration diseasenoun
Workplace exposure to mechanical or sound-related vibrations can cause physical health problems, depending on vibration frequency and exposure duration.
vibration environmentnoun
A moving vehicle's shaking reaches occupants through surfaces such as seats and floors, affecting their bodies according to its properties.
vibration experiencenoun
Touching something that repeatedly shakes stimulates skin receptors and produces a feeling of buzzing or trembling.
vibration receptornoun
A sensory nerve ending detects repeated mechanical movement, with different receptor types responding best to different vibration rates.
vibration sensenoun
Skin receptors let you detect the repeated shaking of an object touching your body.
vibration white fingernoun
Repeated use of vibrating tools can damage hand circulation, causing episodes in which fingers become pale.
vibratornoun
An electrically powered device creates repeated movements to provide sexual stimulation through contact with sensitive body areas.
vibrotactile aidnoun
An assistive device turns information into vibrations felt through the skin, helping people with hearing or vision differences.
vibrotactile maskingnoun
A vibration pattern felt through the skin makes another nearby in time harder to detect or recognize.
vibrotactile thresholdnoun
The smallest vibration strength a person can detect through touch depends partly on how fast the vibration repeats.
vicariousadjective
Felt or learned indirectly by watching someone else's experiences or actions.
vicarious brain processnoun
A proposed explanation of recovery suggests other brain regions can take over some functions after an area is damaged.
vicarious conditioningnoun
An animal learns to perform an action by watching another animal, whether from its own species or a different one.
vicarious extinctionnoun
Fear and avoidance decrease after repeatedly watching another person approach something feared without experiencing negative consequences.
vicarious functionnoun
A theory proposes that recovery after brain damage can involve other regions assuming some of the affected area's functions.
vicarious learningphrase
Learning happens by watching someone else act and seeing what follows.
vicarious reinforcementphrase
Seeing someone else get rewarded can make you more likely to copy that behavior.
vicarious traumatization (VT)noun
Repeated emotional engagement with trauma survivors can change a therapist's beliefs about safety, fairness, and the world beyond therapy sessions.
vicious circlenoun
Repeated ways of responding to or avoiding a problem make it worse, encouraging more of the same responses.
vicious circularitynoun
A logical difficulty arises when certain statements or collections include themselves in ways that create contradiction.
Vicodinnoun
This brand-name pain medicine combines the opioid hydrocodone with acetaminophen.
victimnoun
A person harmed by someone else's abuse, violence, harassment, discrimination, or by an accident or disaster.
victim blamingnoun
People assign responsibility for mistreatment or misfortune to the person who experienced it, sometimes to feel less vulnerable themselves.
victim impact statementnoun
During sentencing, a crime survivor or bereaved family describes how the crime affected their life.
victimizationnoun
Being targeted and harmed through abuse, bullying, or other repeated mistreatment.
victimologynoun
In criminal profiling, investigators examine a victim’s background and circumstances to seek clues about a crime.
video conferencingnoun
People in different places hold live meetings using technology that transmits sound and moving images.
video-recall techniquenoun
Researchers ask participants to watch recordings of their earlier behavior and describe their thoughts and feelings during those moments.
videotape methodnoun
Clinicians use recorded therapy sessions to support treatment, study therapeutic interactions, or train therapists.
Vienna Circlenoun
This historical group of thinkers developed logical positivism, linking scientific knowledge to observation and formal logic.
Vienna Psychoanalytic Societynoun
This Vienna organization grew from Freud’s discussion group and brought together people studying and practicing psychoanalysis.
Viennese Schoolnoun
This historical group of psychoanalysts worked in Vienna during the early twentieth century and followed Freud’s theories.
Vierordt’s lawnoun
This proposed principle says more movable body parts can distinguish two nearby touches at smaller separations than less movable parts.
Vieth–Müller circlenoun
This theoretical circle contains points whose images reach matching retinal positions when the eyes focus on a point along it.
view invariancenoun
Stable visual features allow basic three-dimensional shapes, or whole objects, to be recognized across different viewing angles.
vigilancenoun
Focused, sustained watchfulness for possible danger or important changes in the surroundings.
vigilance decrementphrase
During long watch tasks, people notice fewer target signals after a short time, often because they become less willing to respond.
vigornoun
A person shows physical or mental strength, energy, and readiness for sustained activity.
vindicatory damagesnoun
A court awards money to recognize and remedy a violation of someone’s constitutional rights.
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS)phrase
A caregiver-rated test measures everyday communication, self-care, social, and motor skills across the lifespan.
violation of assumptionsnoun
A study or dataset fails to meet conditions required by a research method, potentially weakening its conclusions.
violation-of-expectation methodnoun
Researchers compare babies’ looking times across events, treating longer attention to an unexpected outcome as possible evidence of an expectation.
violencenoun
Using physical force to intentionally hurt people or damage property out of hostility or rage.
viral hypothesisnoun
This proposed explanation suggests viral exposure, including before birth, may contribute to schizophrenia risk.
viral marketingnoun
Businesses encourage people to spread promotional content through their online contacts and social networks.
viral meningitisnoun
An infection caused by a virus inflames the tissue coverings that protect the spinal cord and brain.
Virchow–Seckel syndromenoun
This rare inherited condition involves unusually small body size and head size, distinctive facial features, and possible intellectual disability.
virginnoun
A person described this way has not had sex, although people differ in which sexual experiences they count.
virginitynoun
This social concept describes not having had sex, with meanings that vary across people and cultures.
virilismnoun
High androgen activity produces traits such as increased facial hair or a deeper voice in someone with female sex characteristics.
virilitynoun
This traditional concept describes qualities associated with adult men, especially the physical capacity for sexual intercourse.
virilocaladjective
A married couple lives with or near the husband’s family under this household arrangement.
virtual pitchnoun
Listeners hear a complex sound’s underlying low pitch even when its lowest fundamental frequency is absent.
virtual realityphrase
A computer-made 3D world that feels real enough for practice, training, or treatment.
virtual reality therapynoun
Therapists use interactive computer simulations to help clients practice responses to difficult situations, often through exposure to feared experiences.
virtual teamnoun
People working from different locations coordinate electronically to pursue shared or related goals.
virtuenoun
A personal quality a culture sees as good and helpful for healthy emotional and mental life.
virusnoun
A tiny infectious particle with DNA or RNA that can reproduce only by taking over living cells.
visceranoun
These internal organs occupy the body’s main cavities, especially the abdomen, and include the stomach and intestines.
visceral brainnoun
MacLean proposed this grouping of brain structures as a basis for emotion and motivation, later naming it the limbic system.
visceral drivenoun
A basic bodily need, such as hunger or thirst, creates motivation to satisfy that need.
visceral hypersensitivitynoun
Signals from internal organs produce stronger discomfort or pain than usual, often in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
visceral learningnoun
Reinforcement, often supported by body monitoring, helps someone gain deliberate influence over automatic internal activities, including heartbeat speed.
visceral reactionnoun
An internal organ responds to stimulation, for example when the stomach contracts.
visceral sensationnoun
A feeling arises from inside the body, such as fullness or a rumbling stomach.
visceral sensenoun
This sensory capacity detects activity and conditions within internal organs, such as stomach stretching.
viscerotonianoun
Sheldon’s historical theory proposed a temperament favoring comfort, eating, relaxation, and social company, which he associated with a rounder physique.
viscusnoun
An individual internal organ lies within a major body cavity, such as the stomach in the abdomen.
visible spectrumnoun
Human eyes can detect this range of light wavelengths, experienced as colors from violet through red.
visionnoun
Using the eyes to detect visible light lets people see shapes, color, and movement.
vision impairmentnoun
Reduced or absent vision affects seeing and may change how a person performs everyday activities.
vision rehabilitationnoun
Coordinated services help people with reduced or absent vision develop skills, use helpful tools, and participate in daily life.
vision screeningnoun
Brief checks identify possible eyesight difficulties or eye conditions that may require further assessment.
visitation rightsnoun
Courts authorize family members to visit children in another person’s care when contact serves those children’s interests.
visiting nursenoun
A nursing professional with registered status makes home visits to deliver care and teach patients about managing their health.
Vistarilnoun
This brand name identifies hydroxyzine, a sedating antihistamine also used to ease anxiety.
visual acuityphrase
How clearly and sharply someone can see small details or fine differences in what they look at.
visual adaptationnoun
Continued exposure to light or visual patterns changes how the visual system responds and what a person perceives.
visual agnosiaphrase
Trouble recognizing what is seen despite normal eyesight, usually because parts of the brain cannot make sense of images.
visual agraphianoun
Brain damage disrupts recognition of written symbols, making it difficult to write letters, numbers, or words.
visual allesthesia (visual allaesthesia)noun
A person perceives something seen on one side as appearing at the opposite position in their visual field.
visual amnesianoun
Neurological injury or illness prevents someone from recognizing previously familiar objects or writing through sight.
visual analogue scalenoun
A rating tool lets someone mark a continuous line between two descriptions to show how strongly they experience something.
visual anglenoun
An object's apparent size can be measured as the angle its edges make at the eye's optical reference point.
visual anomianoun
A person recognizes something they see but cannot correctly say its name.
visual anosognosianoun
A person with lost vision does not realize they are blind, often following damage to brain regions supporting sight.
visual apperception testnoun
An assessment uses drawings or picture-based stories to explore someone's personality or feelings, although interpretations may have limited scientific support.
visual areanoun
A region of the brain's outer layer contains nerve cells that mainly respond to information from sight.
visual area MTnoun
A brain region called the middle temporal area, or V5, helps process how quickly things move and where they go.
visual association cortexnoun
These regions of the brain's outer layer process visual information beyond the primary visual cortex, including shape, color, and movement.
visual attentionnoun
The mind selects particular things in view for closer processing while other visible things compete for notice.
visual attention disordernoun
A disturbance makes it difficult to notice or focus attention on things within view.
visual auranoun
Temporary changes in sight, such as flashing lights, can accompany migraine or occur at the beginning of a seizure.
visual axisnoun
An imagined straight path links a viewed target to the fovea, the retina’s central region, through the eye’s nodal point.
visual blurringnoun
Things look unclear because the visual system has trouble distinguishing shapes, fine details, or differences between light and dark.
visual cachenoun
A proposed part of working memory briefly stores information about how objects look, including their shapes and colors.
visual capturenoun
Information from sight can outweigh information from other senses when the brain combines them into an experience.
visual cliffnoun
A transparent platform over an apparent drop helps researchers study how infants and animals respond to depth.
visual closurenoun
The mind recognizes a familiar thing even when only some of its visible parts are available.
visual comfort probability (VCP)noun
A lighting measure estimates what percentage of people would consider a room's glare acceptable.
visual communicationnoun
Individuals exchange information through visible signals, such as body movements, shapes, or color displays.
visual consciousnessnoun
The part of conscious experience arising from sight includes visible events a person knowingly experiences and can report.
visual constructional impairmentnoun
A person has difficulty arranging visible parts into a whole, such as when drawing or assembling an object.
visual cortexnoun
Brain area in the occipital lobe that first receives and processes visual information.
visual cyclenoun
A chemical recycling process restores retinal to its 11-cis form so it can rebuild light-sensitive rhodopsin in eye receptors.
visual discriminationnoun
A person can tell apart similar-looking things by noticing differences in their shapes, patterns, or other visible features.
visual dominancenoun
Visual information tends to occupy awareness more strongly than sounds or other sensory information presented at the same time.
visual dyslexianoun
A proposed type of acquired reading difficulty involves replacing or rearranging letters, often producing words that resemble the originals.
visual encodingphrase
Turns what the eyes see into brain patterns that can be recognized, thought about, and stored.
visual environmentphrase
The surrounding sights and lighting in a place that shape how someone sees and moves.
visual evoked potential (VEP)noun
An electrical response to something seen is measured using sensors on the scalp above the brain's visual processing regions.
visual extinctionnoun
After brain damage, a person may notice something alone but miss it when another item appears simultaneously on the opposite side.
visual fatiguenoun
Visual images seem to fade, particularly under bright lighting or during sustained looking, sometimes with eye nerve or brain problems.
visual fieldnoun
All the space you can see while keeping your eyes looking at one spot.
visual field defectphrase
Loss of part of what a person can see, caused by damage somewhere along the brain's vision pathway.
visual field sparingnoun
Some normal vision remains within an otherwise impaired half of the viewing area, measured outward from central vision in degrees.
visual fixationnoun
The eyes align with a target so its image reaches the fovea, the retinal region for sharp central vision.
visual form agnosianoun
A person has difficulty recognizing objects by sight because processing their visual form is impaired.
visual form discriminationnoun
A person can distinguish shapes from one another by noticing differences in their outlines or finer details.
visual functionnoun
The visual system's abilities allow a person to take in and process information from sight.
visual hallucinationphrase
Seeing things when nothing is there, from simple shapes to detailed people or scenes.
visual hearingnoun
A person uses visible speech movements or gestures to understand information that would otherwise be received through hearing.
visual illusionnoun
Something present in the environment looks different from its actual properties because of how the visual system interprets it.
visual imageryphrase
Making pictures in your mind from memory or imagination to remember, practice, or cope.
visual impairmentphrase
Reduced or absent sight that limits everyday activities, ranging from low vision to blindness.
visual indexing theorynoun
A theory proposes that attention tags a few visible objects before identifying them, making those objects available for later mental processing.
visual inductionnoun
The appearance of one part of a scene changes how a nearby part, or the surrounding scene, is perceived.
visual learningnoun
Learning occurs through experience with visible cues that help shape knowledge, expectations, or behavior.
visual maskingnoun
A visual display makes another harder or impossible to see when they appear together or very close in time.
visual memorynoun
The ability to remember things you have seen by holding mental pictures in your mind.
visual memory spannoun
The number of visually presented items someone can recall immediately after seeing them once measures this memory capacity.
visual narrativenoun
A story or account of events is communicated through images.
visual neglectphrase
After damage to the right parietal lobe, a person may ignore things on the left side.
visual object agnosianoun
A person has difficulty recognizing objects through sight even though basic vision is sufficiently preserved.
visual organizationnoun
In Gestalt psychology, the visible parts of a scene appear grouped into a meaningful, organized whole.
visual organization testnoun
An assessment asks someone to organize pictures, shapes, or other visible materials that do not depend on words.
visual perceptionphrase
Making sense of what the eyes take in by combining visual signals with context and the person's state.
visual perseverationnoun
An image unusually remains visible or returns after the thing that produced it is no longer in view.
visual persistencenoun
A visual impression lasts briefly after the light or image producing it has disappeared.
visual phosphenenoun
A person experiences a flash or spot of light without incoming light causing that experience.
visual pigmentnoun
A light-sensitive substance inside retinal rods or cones starts chemical changes that lead to an electrical signal.
visual preference paradigmnoun
Researchers compare how long infants look at different displays to infer preferences and whether they can tell the displays apart.
visual processingphrase
The brain's handling of what the eyes send, turning light patterns into meaningful sights.
visual projectionnoun
A three-dimensional object is represented on a flat surface as a silhouette.
visual purplenoun
The pigment rhodopsin in retinal rod cells absorbs light and helps support vision in dim conditions.
visual pursuitnoun
Eye movements follow a moving object to keep its image near the center of vision.
visual receptive fieldnoun
A particular retinal neuron responds when light changes within a certain area of the scene being viewed.
visual receptornoun
A rod or cone cell in the retina detects light and begins the process of seeing.
visual recognitionnoun
The mind identifies an object by interpreting information received through sight.
visual recognition testnoun
An assessment asks someone to identify familiar objects shown once or repeatedly.
visual reproductionphrase
Drawing a seen shape or picture again to show how well visual memory works.
visual screeningnoun
A brief assessment checks for possible eye problems, reduced vision, or difficulty meeting a task's visual demands.
visual sensory memorynoun
A very brief store keeps visual information available after something disappears, usually for less than one second.
visual spacephrase
The seen world experienced as having height, width, and depth.
visual stimulationnoun
Light reaching the retina activates cells that detect it.
visual systemphrase
The eye and brain pathways that focus light, turn it into nerve signals, and help you see.
visual texturenoun
The visible surface qualities of an image, such as speckles or shine, can help suggest depth and slant.
visual thresholdnoun
The smallest amount of light or visual difference someone can detect marks a limit of their vision.
visual trackingnoun
The eyes move with a moving target to keep looking directly at it.
visual transductionnoun
Light absorbed by retinal receptor cells triggers chemical changes that produce electrical signals used for vision.
visual word-form dyslexianoun
An acquired reading difficulty disrupts the brain's visual analysis of letters and their arrangement within written words.
visual yellownoun
An older name describes the yellowish all-trans retinal produced when light changes the visual pigment rhodopsin.
visual-construction testnoun
An assessment measures how well someone combines seeing and movement to copy drawings or assemble designs.
visual-placing reflexnoun
An animal automatically adjusts its legs for contact when a supporting surface comes into view.
visual-righting reflexnoun
Automatic head movements bring the head into alignment with the point the eyes are currently watching.
visual-search perceptual disordernoun
Damage to one brain hemisphere makes locating a target among visible items difficult, often differently across the two sides.
visual–motor coordinationnoun
The nervous system combines information from sight with body movements so actions fit what a person sees.
visual–spatial abilitynoun
A person understands and mentally works with shapes, locations, distances, and how objects relate in space.
visualizationnoun
Making pictures in your mind, often to practice a skill or plan how to act.
visually guided reachingnoun
A person uses ongoing sight to direct a reaching movement toward a target while avoiding obstacles.
visuoconstructional impairmentnoun
A person has difficulty organizing visual information into drawings or objects assembled from separate pieces.
visuoconstructive testnoun
An assessment uses drawing or building tasks to measure how well visual understanding and movement work together.
visuomotor ataxianoun
A person has difficulty accurately reaching toward objects using sight, usually because of damage in the brain's parietal cortex.
visuomotor behavior rehearsalnoun
A performance training method combines gradual muscle relaxation with imagining oneself carrying out the desired actions.
visuospatial agnosianoun
A person can identify visible objects but has difficulty understanding where those objects are relative to one another.
visuospatial functionnoun
The mind perceives how shapes and objects are arranged in flat images and three-dimensional space.
visuospatial sketchpadphrase
The working-memory part that briefly stores and moves around mental pictures of objects, shapes, and where things are.
visuotopic mapnoun
An organized pattern of neurons represents locations across the area a person can see.
vital capacitynoun
The greatest volume of air someone can breathe out after taking their fullest breath measures lung capacity.
vital exhaustionnoun
A state of unusually strong tiredness includes low energy, irritability, disturbed sleep, and feeling discouraged.
vital functionsphrase
Basic body jobs like breathing and blood flow that keep a person alive.
vital spiritsnoun
Historical theories proposed a substance or force flowing from the brain through nerves to explain bodily activity.
vital statisticsnoun
Population records count major life events, including births, deaths, marriages, and cases of disease.
vitalismnoun
A historical theory proposed that living things depend partly on a special life force beyond ordinary physical and chemical processes.
vitalitynoun
A person experiences physical or mental energy, liveliness, and enthusiasm for activity.
vitaminnoun
An organic nutrient needed in small amounts supports normal body functioning and usually must come partly from food.
vitamin Anoun
A nutrient stored in body fat supports vision by supplying material used in the eye's light-sensitive pigments.
vitamin A toxicitynoun
Excessive amounts of preformed vitamin A cause illness that can affect vision, mood, skin, bones, and internal organs.
vitamin and mineral therapynoun
Treatment uses selected vitamin or mineral supplements to address health conditions, with effectiveness depending on the condition and evidence.
vitamin Bnoun
A family of vitamins that dissolve in water helps enzymes process nutrients and supports normal brain and body functioning.
vitamin Dnoun
A vitamin made in sun-exposed skin and obtained from food helps the body absorb calcium and maintain bones.
vitamin D toxicitynoun
Excessive vitamin D intake can raise blood calcium enough to damage kidneys and disturb other body functions.
vitamin deficiencynoun
The body lacks enough of a needed vitamin, which can disrupt physical health, brain function, or both.
vitamin Enoun
A family of vitamins stored in fat helps protect cells against chemical damage and supports nerve and immune function.
vitamin Knoun
A vitamin stored in body fat helps activate proteins involved in blood clotting and bone health.
vitamin modelnoun
Peter Warr proposed that nine work characteristics affect employee well-being, with some becoming unhelpful when present in excessive amounts.
vitex agnus castusnoun
An herbal preparation from the chasteberry plant is used for premenstrual symptoms and menstrual irregularities.
vitreous hemorrhagenoun
Blood leaks into the clear gel inside the eye, sometimes from retinal vessels affected by diabetes.
vitreous humornoun
A clear, jellylike substance occupies the large space behind the eye's lens and in front of its retina.
viviparitynoun
A form of reproduction involves offspring developing inside the mother's body and being born alive.
vivisectionnoun
Researchers cut into a living animal to examine internal structures or processes during an experiment.
Vivitrolnoun
A brand of long-acting injectable naltrexone blocks opioid receptors and helps treat alcohol and opioid dependence.
VLBWabbreviation
Very low birth weight describes a baby weighing under 1,500 grams when born, regardless of pregnancy length.
VMHabbreviation
The ventromedial hypothalamus is a brain region involved in fullness, energy regulation, and temperature control.
VMIabbreviation
A drawing assessment checks how well someone coordinates vision with hand movements while copying shapes that become increasingly complex.
VNOabbreviation
The vomeronasal organ detects chemical signals involved in social and reproductive behavior in many animals.
vocabulary growthnoun
Children gradually expand the words they understand and use, while developing connections among those words.
vocabulary spurtphrase
A sudden jump in how quickly a young child learns and starts using many new words.
vocabulary testphrase
A test that measures how many words a person understands or can use correctly.
vocal communicationnoun
People and other animals share information through sounds, usually made by specialized structures that vibrate.
vocal cordsnoun
Two folds inside the voice box vibrate as air flows between them, helping produce the voice.
vocal reaction timenoun
Researchers measure the delay between presenting a signal and a person's first sound in a spoken answer.
vocal registernoun
A person's voice has a range of pitches with a particular sound quality and pattern of production.
vocal tractnoun
The voice-producing structures include the voice box, throat, nose, mouth, and parts that shape speech, such as the tongue.
vocal-image voicenoun
Electronic equipment converts speech sounds into visible patterns that people with substantial hearing loss can learn to interpret.
vocalizationnoun
Making sounds with the vocal cords, such as speech, babbling, singing, or screams.
vocationnoun
A career or occupation fits someone's abilities and interests especially well, often carrying a strong sense of purpose.
vocational adjustmentnoun
A person's career choice fits their interests, strengths, traits, and personal goals to a greater or lesser degree.
vocational appraisalnoun
A counselor estimates someone's likely success and satisfaction in an occupation using personal assessments and knowledge of work opportunities.
vocational aptitudenoun
A person's abilities and characteristics support effective performance in a particular kind of work.
vocational aptitude testnoun
An assessment measures abilities and other personal characteristics to estimate someone's suitability for a particular occupation.
vocational counselingnoun
A counselor helps someone choose work, develop a career, or manage difficulties affecting their working life.
vocational educationnoun
An organized course prepares people for particular jobs or trades by teaching practical skills and helping them gain qualifications.
vocational guidancenoun
A person receives help choosing suitable work through conversations, assessments, and information about different careers.
vocational maturitynoun
Being realistic and thoughtful about jobs and making career choices that fit your age and abilities.
vocational rehabilitationphrase
Services that help injured or disabled people rebuild job skills and return to work.
vocational servicesnoun
Organizations provide career guidance, ability assessments, job training, and practical support for finding employment.
vocational trainingnoun
Organized teaching that helps people gain the skills and qualifications needed for a specific job or trade.
vodunnoun
A religious tradition with West African roots involves relationships with spirits, ancestors, and community through ritual practices.
voicenoun
Sound from the larynx, or voice box, shaped by the tongue, lips, and mouth.
voice disordernoun
A condition disrupts how a person's voice sounds or functions, affecting qualities such as pitch, loudness, or resonance.
voice keynoun
An electronic device detects when microphone sound crosses a set level to measure how quickly a spoken response begins.
voice therapynoun
A trained specialist assesses voice difficulties and provides exercises or other support to improve voice production.
voice-activated controlnoun
Spoken commands operate a device or enter information into it.
voice-activated switchnoun
A control responds to someone's voice to switch equipment on or off, sometimes supporting access for people with disabilities.
voice-onset time (VOT)noun
In speech, the timing between releasing a stop consonant and starting vocal fold vibration helps distinguish sounds.
voice-output systemnoun
A computer system presents information as speech, helping users access content without needing to see it.
voice–stress analyzernoun
A device measures small voice changes thought to indicate stress, but its use for detecting lies lacks dependable support.
voicedadjective
A speech sound has this quality when the vocal folds vibrate during its production, as in the sound z.
voiceless soundnoun
A speech sound is produced without vocal fold vibration, as when saying the sounds s or f.
voiceprintnoun
A digital representation captures patterns in someone's recorded voice for speaker identification or analysis of speech characteristics.
voicingnoun
Vibration of the vocal folds adds sound during speech production.
voir direnoun
Judges or lawyers question potential jurors to assess whether their biases could prevent fair judgment in a trial.
volatile marriagenoun
A lasting marriage combines intense disagreements with affection, while positive interactions remain more frequent than negative ones.
volitionnoun
A person deliberately chooses a course of action and commits to carrying it out.
volitional tremornoun
Unintended rhythmic shaking occurs during deliberate muscle activity, including moving a body part or holding a position.
volleynoun
Several nerve fibers send impulses at matching times, creating a coordinated burst of electrical activity.
volley theorynoun
A hearing theory proposes that groups of nerve fibers take turns firing to represent sound frequencies beyond one fiber's capacity.
voltnoun
A unit used to measure the difference in electrical pressure between two points.
voltage-gated ion channelnoun
A protein passage in a cell membrane changes its opening when the electrical difference between the membrane's sides changes.
volubilitynoun
Speech becomes unusually abundant and difficult to control, a pattern that can occur during mania.
volume colornoun
Color appears to fill a substance's depth, as it does in colored water, rather than belonging only to its surface.
volume of distributionnoun
A calculated volume equals the total drug amount in the body divided by its concentration in a sampled fluid, usually plasma.
volumetric thirstnoun
The urge to drink arises when fluid volume outside the body's cells falls too low.
voluntarismnoun
A psychological view holds that deliberate will and choice contribute to human behavior.
voluntaryadjective
Done on purpose and under conscious brain control, not automatic like a reflex.
voluntary admissionnoun
A person freely agrees to enter a psychiatric hospital or another inpatient treatment setting.
voluntary agencies and organizationsnoun
Independent nonprofit groups use public donations, at least partly, to address community health or social welfare needs.
voluntary attentionnoun
A person deliberately chooses where to focus and works to keep attention there.
voluntary behaviorphrase
Actions a person chooses on purpose, like walking or typing, rather than automatic reflexes.
voluntary commitmentnoun
Someone chooses to enter a hospital or similar facility for overnight mental health treatment without being forced.
voluntary dehydrationnoun
After losing body water, a person delays drinking enough to fully replace it.
voluntary hospitalizationnoun
A person chooses to enter a hospital for mental health treatment without being forced.
voluntary musclenoun
A skeletal muscle produces movement and is usually controlled through conscious decisions.
voluntary responsephrase
A chosen action made after a stimulus, using brain and body systems to guide and control movement.
voluntary retrievalnoun
A person intentionally searches memory to bring particular information or an experience to mind.
voluntary turnoverphrase
When workers choose to leave a job during a certain time period, often for another job.
volunteernoun
A person who chooses to help an organization or study without being paid.
volunteer biasnoun
People who choose to join research may differ systematically from others, making the sample less representative.
volunteerismnoun
People give their effort and time without payment to activities that benefit others or their community.
vomeronasal systemnoun
A specialized sensory system detects social chemical signals in many animals and helps influence mating and other behaviors.
vomitingnoun
Forcing stomach contents out through the mouth can happen automatically or on purpose, such as in bulimia.
vomiting centernoun
A network in the lower brainstem helps coordinate the muscle actions involved in vomiting.
von Domarus principlenoun
A historical proposal linked some thinking in schizophrenia to treating things sharing one feature as identical.
von Economo’s diseasenoun
An illness also called encephalitis lethargica involves brain inflammation, severe sleepiness, and sometimes problems moving the eyes.
von Frey hairsnoun
Calibrated bristles or filaments apply measured forces to skin to test how sensitive someone is to touch.
von Frey specificity theorynoun
A disputed nineteenth-century theory assigned separate skin receptors to sensations of touch, pain, warmth, and cold.
von Recklinghausen’s diseasenoun
A genetic condition called neurofibromatosis type 1 can cause nerve tumors, light brown skin patches, and learning difficulties.
von Restorff effectnoun
An item that stands out from surrounding items is often remembered better than those surrounding it.
voodoonoun
A religious tradition, especially associated with Haiti, combines West African spiritual traditions with Catholic influences and communal rituals.
voodoo deathnoun
A historical label describes reported deaths attributed to extreme fear after believing oneself cursed, with the explanation remaining uncertain.
VORabbreviation
The vestibulo-ocular reflex uses inner-ear movement signals to move the eyes oppositely to head motion, keeping vision steady.
VOTabbreviation
The Hooper Visual Organization Test asks people to mentally assemble pictured pieces and identify the familiar objects they form.
vowelnoun
A speech sound made with vocal cords vibrating and air moving out freely through the mouth.
voxel-based morphometry (VBM)noun
A statistical method compares brain tissue patterns across MRI scans using tiny three-dimensional units called voxels.
voyeurismnoun
Sexual interest centers on watching people who do not know they are being observed while undressing, naked, or sexually active.
vPCCabbreviation
This abbreviation names ventral posterior cingulate cortex, a brain region associated with memory and thoughts about oneself.
VPSabbreviation
The Values and Preferences Scale gathers ratings from people with cognitive difficulties and caregivers about what matters in daily life.
VRabbreviation
A reinforcement schedule that rewards behavior after an unpredictable number of responses.
Vroom–Yetton–Jago decision modelnoun
A leadership framework uses features of a situation to guide how much employees should participate in making a decision.
VTabbreviation
Variable time describes a schedule that presents stimuli after changing time intervals, regardless of what the participant does.
vulnerabilitynoun
Greater chance of getting a disorder when certain risks or conditions are present.
vulnerability factornoun
A characteristic or experience increases the chance of developing a particular condition, especially when combined with other influences.
vulvanoun
The external genital structures typically associated with female anatomy include the labia, visible clitoris, and area surrounding vaginal and urethral openings.
vulval orgasmnoun
An orgasm results from stimulation of external genital structures, such as the clitoris or labia.
vulvectomynoun
A surgical procedure removes some or all vulval tissue, often as treatment for cancer affecting that area.
Vygotskian theory of intelligencenoun
A theory proposes that children's thinking develops through social interaction as shared guidance becomes a resource they can use independently.
Vyvansenoun
A brand of lisdexamfetamine treats ADHD through a substance the body converts into the stimulant dextroamphetamine.

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