Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


colloid

n.

1. a large, gluelike molecule that cannot pass through the plasma membrane of a cell. When injected into the peritoneum, colloids attract and retain water by osmosis.

2. a system consisting of two or more phases in which one phase (the dispersed phase) is distributed throughout the other phase (the continuous phase). A sol, for example, consists of large molecules or small solid particles distributed in a liquid, as when starch is mixed with water. —colloidal adj.

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 10th 2024

self-consistency perspective

self-consistency perspective

a variation of cognitive dissonance theory in which cognitive dissonance is considered particularly likely to occur when an inconsistency involves some aspect of the self. This perspective differs from self-affirmation theory in that dissonance can be reduced only by resolving the specific inconsistency that gave rise to the discomfort; it does not allow for the possibility that dissonance can be reduced by affirming some other aspect of the self. [originally proposed by U.S. psychologist Elliot Aronson (1932–  )]