baseline

1. data or information obtained prior to or at the onset of a study (e.g., before introduction of an intervention) that serves as a basis for comparison with data collected at a later point in time so as to assess the effects of particular manipulations or treatments. For example, a memory researcher may measure how many words from a list participants remember initially and then compare that figure to the number of words they remember following the use of a new mnemonic technique (i.e., the experimental manipulation).

2. more generally, any stable level of performance used as a yardstick to assess the effects of particular manipulations or changes.

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 4th 2024

taste cortex

the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for the perception of taste. The primary taste cortex (or primary gustatory cortex) is the first cortical relay for taste. Located along the sharp bend that includes the frontal operculum laterally and the anterior insula medially, it receives taste, touch, visceral, and other sensory inputs from the thalamus and permits an integrated evaluation of a chemical. Its output goes to regions that control oral and visceral reflexes in response to foods. The secondary taste cortex (or secondary gustatory cortex) is the area of cerebral cortex, located in the orbitofrontal cortex, that is the second cortical relay for taste. It identifies gustatory stimuli as either pleasant and rewarding or unpleasant and undesirable. This information from the secondary taste cortex interacts with analyses from visual, touch, and olfactory cells to permit an integrated appreciation of flavor.