cover story

a plausible but false statement about the purpose of a research study given to research participants to avoid disclosing to them the true hypothesis being investigated. Such deception may be practiced when the participants’ behavior in the study is apt to be affected by knowledge of the experiment’s true purpose. For ethical reasons, the deception should not flagrantly violate the participants’ right to know what they will be getting into by taking part in the investigation; that is, the deception should not lead participants into harmful, embarrassing, risky, or otherwise compromising behavior. Participants should be debriefed about the cover story as soon as is feasible. See deception research.

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Psychology term of the day

March 11th 2025

mood disorder

in DSM–IV–TR, a psychiatric condition in which the principal feature is a prolonged, pervasive emotional disturbance, such as a depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or substance-induced mood disorder. Also included are mood disorders due to a general medical condition, in which attendant physiological disruptions are believed to produce the emotional changes, and mood disorder not otherwise specified, which does not meet the diagnostic criteria for any of the specific mood disorders. The term chronic mood disorder is applied when symptoms rarely remit. In DSM–5, mood disorders are divided into two categories: bipolar and related disorders, which include bipolar disorder and its subtypes (e.g., bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymic disorder); and depressive disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Also called affective disorder.