directive discipline

a field of study, particularly within the social sciences or humanities, that provides explicit or implicit answers to prescriptive questions regarding society and the conduct of individual lives. For example, philosophy is a directive discipline when it suggests that some ethical system is to be recommended over another. Psychology is a directive discipline to the extent that it describes a healthy or fully functioning life and may attempt to modify behaviors that fall short of this ideal.

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Psychology term of the day

September 8th 2024

NMDA receptor

a type of glutamate receptor that binds NMDA as well as glutamate. NMDA receptors are coupled to ligand-gated ion channels and are also voltage-sensitive, which enables them to participate in a variety of information-processing operations at synapses where glutamate is the neurotransmitter. The drugs of abuse ketamine and PCP are antagonists at NMDA receptors, preventing the influx of calcium ions at calcium channels, which may cause the hallucinogenic effects of these drugs. Excessive flow of calcium ions into the presynaptic neuron via the NMDA receptor is thought to contribute to glutamate toxicity. A hypothesis on the etiology of schizophrenia involves dysfunction of the NMDA glutamate receptor (see glutamate hypothesis). Compare AMPA receptor.