pedophilia

n. a paraphilia in which sexual acts or fantasies involving prepubertal children are the persistently preferred or exclusive method of achieving sexual excitement. The children are usually many years younger than the pedophile (or pedophiliac). Sexual activity may consist of looking and touching but may include intercourse, even with very young children. Pedophilia is rarely seen in women. —pedophilic adj.

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Psychology term of the day

December 22nd 2024

time estimation

the ability to monitor elapsed time. In operant conditioning studies using fixed-interval schedules, nonhuman animals can estimate the time between one reward and the occurrence of the next reward. In nature, time estimation is important for finding prey that emerge at a fixed time of day or season and is essential for navigation when sun or star cues are used (see sun compass).