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paraverbal therapy

a method of psychotherapy, introduced in the 1970s, for children who have difficulty communicating verbally (e.g., due to trauma, hyperactivity, autism, withdrawal, language disturbances). Assuming that these children would feel more intrigued and less threatened by a nonverbal approach, the therapy uses various expressive media, including the components of music (tempo and pitch), mime, movement, and art to help the children express themselves. [developed by child psychotherapist Evelyn P. Heimlich]

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

cognitive ethology

cognitive ethology

the study of mental experiences, including consciousness and intentionality, in nonhuman animals and of the influence of these experiences on the animals’ behavior as they interact with their natural environment. Whether, and which, animals actually possess consciousness and intentionality remains a subject of controversy. [proposed in 1978 by U.S. zoologist Donald Redfield Griffin (1915–2003)]