complement

n. in linguistics, a word, phrase, or clause added to a verb to complete the sense of the predicate. The term is most closely associated with the type of phrase that follows a copula (linking verb), such as my father in He is my father or very unhappy in She looked very unhappy.

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Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

vacuum activity

in classical ethology, the occurrence of a fixed action pattern in the absence of the usual external stimulus (the releaser, or sign stimulus) that triggers the pattern. This is believed to be caused by a build-up of action-specific or motivational energy that overrides the innate releasing mechanism. Also called vacuum response. [proposed by Konrad Lorenz]