metathetic

adj.

1. denoting a stimulus dimension in which a change of magnitude can cause a qualitative change in the psychological experience produced. For example, a faint smell may be quite pleasing, whereas an increase in intensity may cause revulsion. Compare prothetic.

2. relating to a change in place or condition, particularly the transposition of two phonemes in a word or the exchange of elements between chemical compounds to create different kinds of compounds. —metathesis n.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

Megan’s law

an amendment to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act requiring that state registries of convicted but released sex offenders be disseminated to the public so that communities will be notified of offenders’ presence in a particular neighborhood. More formally known as the Community Notification Act, it was initially passed in New Jersey in 1994 after a repeat sex offender murdered a 7-year-old girl named Megan Nicole Kanka; it became a federal law in 1996.