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bipolar disorder

any of a group of mood disorders in which symptoms of mania and depression alternate. In DSM–IV–TR and DSM–5, the group includes primarily the following subtypes: bipolar I disorder, in which the individual fluctuates between episodes of mania or hypomania and major depressive episodes or experiences a mix of these: bipolar II disorder, in which the individual fluctuates between major depressive and hypomanic episodes; and cyclothymic disorder. The former official name for bipolar disorders, manic-depressive illness, is still in frequent use.

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Psychology term of the day

September 1st 2024

learning paradigm

learning paradigm

an experimental design used to research incidental learning. Groups of participants are shown the same stimuli (e.g., a list of 20 words) but asked to perform different tasks with them (e.g., picture associated words, determine the average number of letters in each word). Afterward, the participants unexpectedly are asked to recall as many of the presented items as possible.