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elaboration

n.

1. the process of interpreting or embellishing information to be remembered or of relating it to other material already known and in memory. The levels-of-processing model of memory holds that the level of elaboration applied to information as it is processed affects both the length of time that it can be retained in memory and the ease with which it can be retrieved. See activation–elaboration. See also chunking; deep processing; recoding.

2. the process of scrutinizing and thinking about the central merits of attitude-relevant information. This process includes generating inferences about the information, assessing its validity, and considering the implications of evaluative responses to the information. See also central route to persuasion; elaboration-likelihood model; peripheral route to persuasion. —elaborate vb.

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Psychology term of the day

September 17th 2024

tremor

tremor

n. any involuntary trembling of the body or a part of the body (e.g., the hands) due to neurological or psychological causes. Psychological (or psychogenic) tremor may be mild, due to tension, or violent and uncontrolled in severe disturbances. Toxic effects of drugs or heavy metals may produce a transient tremor. A coarse tremor involves a large muscle group in slow movements, whereas a fine tremor is caused by a small bundle of muscle fibers that move rapidly. Some tremors occur only during voluntary movements (see action tremor); others occur in the absence of voluntary movement (see resting tremor). See also essential tremor.