distractible speech

a speech pattern in which the individual shifts rapidly from topic to topic in response to external or internal stimuli. It is a common symptom in mania. See also flight of ideas.

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Psychology term of the day

January 18th 2025

consistent missing

in parapsychology experiments using Zener cards or similar targets, the phenomenon in which a participant’s “calls,” or guesses, are consistently wrong or significantly below chance expectations. Some people attribute such systematic failure to processing error or a conscious or nonconscious reluctance to confirm psychic ability. See also psi-missing.