defense reflex

a sudden response elicited by a painful or unexpected stimulus. The term is applied to a variety of responses, ranging from an acceleration in heart rate in reaction to a startling auditory stimulus; through flight, fight, or freezing elicited by perceived threat; to complex psychological responses. Also called defense response.

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 8th 2024

five-factor personality model (FFM)

Sorry, "five-factor-personality-model-ffm" is not in the Dictionary of Psychology. Please report to APA if you believe this is an error.