nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

a form of diabetes in which the kidneys are unable to produce a normal concentration of urine because the kidney tubules do not respond to vasopressin produced by the pituitary gland. Individuals with this disorder drink enormous amounts of water and excrete large volumes of dilute urine. The disorder can be critical in infants, who cannot communicate their thirst and therefore suffer water depletion, which may lead to brain damage and intellectual disability before the cause can be diagnosed.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

contrast effect

1. the perception of an intensified or heightened difference between two stimuli or sensations when they are juxtaposed or when one immediately follows the other. Examples include the effect produced when a trombone follows a violin or when bright yellow and red are viewed simultaneously.

2. in psychology experiments, an effect in which participants’ judgments shift away from an anchor after it is introduced. Compare assimilation effect.