out-of-body experience

a dissociative experience during which the individual imagines or feels that his or her mind, soul, or spirit has left the body and is acting or perceiving independently. Such experiences are sometimes reported by those who have recovered from a near-death experience; they have also been reported by those using hallucinogens or under hypnosis. A significant number have been reported as occurring when the reporter was asleep or falling asleep. Certain occult or spiritualistic practices may also attempt to induce such experiences. See astral projection.

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Psychology term of the day

February 2nd 2025

rule-governed behavior

any behavior that is influenced by verbal antecedents, such as following instructions (as when children clean their rooms because they are told to do so) or reacting to one’s own private thinking (as when an adult begins an exercise program after thinking “I need to lose weight”). The term does not refer to behavior that can be described by a rule. For example, rats’ behavior that adopts a win–stay, lose–shift strategy cannot be described as rule-governed. Also called verbally governed behavior. Compare contingency-governed behavior.