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Chromosomes are large pieces of DNA that contain genes, other sequences of DNA, and associated proteins. Genes code for traits,...

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a poorly understood and sometimes controversial illness thought to affect as many as 800,000 Americans....

What Is Chronic Illness? A chronic illness is any medical condition that has a prolonged course and often interferes with...

Circadian rhythms refer to regular or rhythmic variations in biological and behavioral measures approximately (“circa”) on a 24-hour or daily...

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis and is practiced by Jews, Muslims, and Coptic Christians....

As we traverse the path from birth to death, chronological age (CA) provides a simple and convenient signpost for all...

We are constantly making predictions about events that may happen in our environment and actively seeking information with predictive value....

Cluster suicide refers to the occurrence of two or more suicides or suicide attempts, or both, that occur closer together...

Cocaine is a frequently used central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that enhances energy and mood. It is also a dangerous...

Although dual-process theories have become popular  over  the  last  few  decades,  ideas  about  mental  division  have  existed  for  centuries.  Significant...

Hearing impairment is a common disorder, affecting many children and adults. Its severity varies widely among individuals. Mild loss of...

Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort  that  people  experience  when  there  is inconsistency  between  their  knowledge  or  beliefs and...

Cognitive equilibrium refers to a state of balance between an individual’s mental schemata, or frameworks, and his or her environment....

Predicting school achievement as well as traditional psychometric measurements of intellectual abilities, cognitive styles are not abilities themselves but rather...

The trends in romantic relationships have been changing dramatically over the past few decades in the United States. Divorce rates...

A cohort refers to a group of individuals who have common characteristics such as age, experience, location, or generation. Historically,...

Colic and colicky apply to crying behaviors in otherwise healthy infants who, despite their caregivers’ attempts at soothing, cry inconsolably....

Common law marriage is a form of marriage that is recognized without legal and civil formalities such as a marriage...

Many are familiar with Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of a man with autism in the movie Rainman. We laughed as he...

The Babinski reflex is also known as Babinski’s sign or hallucal dorsiflexion reflex, and was first described by Dr. Joseph...

Baby Boomers have had a tremendous impact on 20th century history and culture. Baby Boomers are defined  as  anyone  born ...

Babies learn to speak by listening to their caretakers. People help them by modulating the sounds of speech in fundamentally...

The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) is a major clinical research program in human aging conducted in Baltimore by...

Albert Bandura is a past president of the American Psychological Association (1973) and has been a professor at Stanford since...

Bar Mitzvah means “son of commandment,” a rather elliptical term connoting that a young Jewish male has reached the age...

Roger G. Barker was a professor of psychology at the University of Kansas and a recipient of the Distinguished Scientific...

Battered child syndrome (BCS) has been defined as “the collection of injuries sustained by a child as a result of...

Battered woman syndrome (BWS) is a psychiatric and legal term that refers to the constellation of psychological effects experienced by...

Diana Blumberg Baumrind is considered to be among  the  foremost  experts  on  parenting  in  the United States. She has also...

Nancy Bayley was born and reared in The Dalles, Oregon, and died in Carmel, California. In the history of developmental...

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II), published by Psychological Corporation, are a set of scales that takes 45 minutes...

The process of human development inevitably ends in death. Bereavement, grief, and mourning are terms used to describe distinct aspects...

The term “bereavement overload” was coined by psychologist and gerontologist Robert Kastenbaum over 30 years ago to refer to circumstances...

Bilingualism refers to the regular use of two languages by speakers who have a high level of proficiency in each...

Alfred Binet was a French pioneer of modern psychological testing who developed the prototype of many intelligence tests in use...

The term “binge drinking” has traditionally been used in reference to extreme levels of alcohol consumption over a prolonged period...

Binge eating is defined as the uncontrolled eating of a large amount of food within a discrete period of time...

Life on earth has evolved with the ability to cope with cyclical changes in the environment. The length of these...

Birth defects are also termed congenital anomalies or inborn errors. While not always diagnosed at birth, they are believed to...

Alfred Adler, founder of the theory known as Individual Psychology, first introduced the concept of birth order. Adler identified characteristics...

Birth centers are places where women and their families can experience the joys of childbirth. They provide intensive care to...

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of human physical fitness that is designed to provide a standard metric for...

Edward John Mostyn Bowlby is, together with Mary Ainsworth, the founder of attachment theory. In this theory, Bowlby tried to...

Advances in medicine, surgery, and public health have gradually increased the average life expectancy of the population. At the same...

Humans share many similarities with other animals, including the ability to experience sensations, exhibit motor behavior, and even socialize. However,...