dyssemia

n. difficulty in receiving or sending nonverbal cues. More specifically, people with dyssemia have trouble interpreting (decoding) or producing (encoding) interpersonal information in the form of facial, postural, gestural, and paralinguistic expressions. For example, a person with dyssemia might fail to recognize the wide eyes of someone who is fearful. This nonverbal processing deficit is associated with a variety of social difficulties, including problems forming and maintaining friendships, conflict with others, and isolation or rejection. Innate or acquired damage to the amygdala or other limbic system structures is the most common contributing factor. See also Emory Dyssemia Index. [coined in 1992 by U.S. clinical psychologists Stephen Nowicki Jr. (1941– ) and Marshall Duke (1942– )]

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

cooperative learning

1. learning in small groups, to which each student in the group is expected to contribute using interpersonal skills and face-to-face interaction. Students also participate in regular assessment of the group process.

2. a formal method of acquiring information that combines knowledge obtained in a classroom setting with that obtained in a work or applied setting. Typically, the formal classroom aspect of instruction is focused specifically on the actual work experience. See also cooperative training.