Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


aversive system

neuroticism as represented by an individual’s relative sensitivity to negative or punishing (i.e., aversive) cues and stimuli and his or her processes for avoiding them. Compare appetitive system. See also behavioral inhibition system. [proposed by British psychologist Jeffrey Alan Gray (1934–2004)]

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

postural aftereffect

postural aftereffect

a change in posture that arises as an aftereffect of prior stimulation. For example, when viewing a moving scene, a person typically leans in the direction of the motion. When viewing ends, body posture returns to a vertical position and then, briefly, leans in the opposite direction.