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functional blindness

visual deterioration without any apparent change or disease affecting the structural integrity of the visual system: one of the most frequent symptoms in somatization disorder. In addition to loss of acuity, visual functional phenomena may include photophobia; burning, painful, or tired eyes; monocular diplopia (double vision); ptosis; blepharospasm; convergence problems; and severe concentric visual field constriction in one or both eyes. Despite the symptoms, the pupils continue to react to light, and the patient automatically avoids (i.e., is able to detect and thereby avoid) objects that would cause injury. Complete functional blindness is rare. The condition was formerly known as hysterical blindness or psychic blindness.

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Psychology term of the day

January 20th 2025

three-mountains test

three-mountains test

a Piagetian task used to assess visual perspective taking in children. A doll is placed at various locations around a three-dimensional display of three mountains, and children must indicate how the doll sees the display. Children younger than 8 years old have difficulty performing this test correctly, although they are able to understand that others have a visual perspective that is different from their own when less complicated tasks are used.