Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 
Factors that distort how the 
independent variable affects the dependent 
variable in an experiment (Module 6).

experimental group

 
Any group participating 
in an experiment that receives a treatment 
(Module 5).

experimental manipulation

 
The change that 
an experimenter deliberately produces in a situ-
ation (Module 5).
growth and change that occur throughout life 
(Module 35).

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental 
Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision
 
(
DSM-IV-TR
)

 
A system, devised by the American 
Psychiatric Association, used by most profession-
als to diagnose and classify abnormal behavior 
(Module 46).

dialectical behavior therapy

 
A form of treat-
ment in which the focus is on getting people to 
accept who they are regardless of whether it 
matches their ideal (Module 49).

difference threshold (just noticeable difference)

 
The smallest level of added or reduced stimula-
tion required to sense that a change in stimula-
tion has occurred (Module 10).

diffusion of responsibility

 
The tendency for 
people to feel that responsibility for acting is 
shared, or diffused, among those present 
(Module 55).

discrimination

 
Behavior directed toward indi-
viduals on the basis of their membership in a 
particular group (Module 54).

disengagement theory of aging

 
A theory that 
suggests that aging produces a gradual 
withdrawal from the world on physical, 
psychological, and social levels (Module 39).