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oppositional defiant disorder

in DSM–IV–TR, a behavior disorder of childhood characterized by recurrent disobedient, negativistic, or hostile behavior toward authority figures that is more pronounced than usually seen in children of similar age and lasts for at least 6 months. It is manifest as temper tantrums, active defiance of rules, dawdling, argumentativeness, stubbornness, or being easily annoyed. The defiant behaviors typically do not involve aggression, destruction, theft, or deceit, which distinguishes this disorder from conduct disorder. Oppositional defiant disorder should be distinguished from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, with which it often co-occurs. In DSM–5, the symptom characteristics have largely been retained but are divided into subgroups of mood (e.g., angry, irritable), behavior (e.g., argumentative, defiant), or vindictiveness.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

center–surround antagonism

center–surround antagonism

a characteristic of the receptive fields of many visual and somatosensory neurons in which stimulation in the center of the receptive field evokes opposite responses to stimulation in the periphery. Thus, some neurons depolarize with center stimulation and hyperpolarize when the same stimulus appears in the surrounding region of the receptive field, whereas other neurons have the opposite pattern of responses. Center–surround antagonism greatly increases the sensitivity of the nervous system to contrast. See also off response; on response; simple cell.