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dominance

n.

1. the exercise of influence or control over others. Compare submission. See also animal dominance.

2. an older term for the tendency for one hemisphere of the cerebral cortex to exert greater influence than the other over certain key functions, such as speech production or manual tasks. Also called hemispheric dominance; lateral dominance. See hemispheric lateralization.

3. in genetics, the ability of one allele to determine the phenotype of a heterozygous individual. See dominant allele. —dominant adj.

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Psychology term of the day

November 16th 2024

tropism

tropism

n. a form of orientation observed in both plants and nonhuman animals toward or away from a stimulus, such as sunlight or gravity. The flower of a plant may turn gradually to face the sun as it moves across the sky (heliotropism), while its roots follow magnetic lines of force and the pull of gravity. Tropism contrasts with taxis, which is a directed movement toward or away from a stimulus. Compare kinesis. —tropic adj.