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action tremor

trembling of a body part that arises when the individual is engaged in directed voluntary activity and that increases as the movement progresses. Action tremors are classified into the following subtypes: Postural tremor occurs when the person maintains a position against gravity, such as holding the arms outstretched; kinetic tremor appears during movement of a body part, such as moving the wrists up and down; intention tremor is the trembling of a body part that arises near the conclusion of a directed, voluntary movement, such as touching a finger to one’s nose; task-specific tremor appears during the performance of highly skilled, goal-oriented tasks such as handwriting; and isometric tremor occurs during a voluntary muscle contraction that is not accompanied by any other movement. Compare resting tremor.

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Psychology term of the day

November 19th 2024

stepdown test

stepdown test

a memory test used in studies of shock-avoidance learning in rats and mice. When the animal first steps down from an elevated platform in the test chamber, it receives a brief foot shock. On subsequent test trials, the animal is usually much slower to step down, indicating its memory for the shock experience; a lack of hesitation in stepping down on postshock trials is considered a sign of cognitive impairment. Also called stepdown avoidance.