Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


rating scale

an instrument that is used to assign scores to people or items along some numerical dimension, such as agreement with an attitude statement or frequency of occurrence. Rating scales can be classified according to the number of points along the dimension that is being assessed (e.g., a 5-point scale, 7-point scale) and the way in which the response labels are ordered along the dimension. See bipolar rating scale; Likert scale; semantic differential.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

November 28th 2024

cocaine withdrawal

cocaine withdrawal

in DSM–IV–TR, a characteristic withdrawal syndrome that develops after cessation of (or reduction in) prolonged, heavy consumption of cocaine. The essential characteristic is depressed mood, sometimes severe, and there may also be fatigue, disturbed sleep, increased appetite, vivid and unpleasant dreams, or psychomotor retardation or agitation, or all of these features. Marked withdrawal symptoms (see crash) often follow an episode of intense, high-dose use. The equivalent term in DSM–5 is stimulant withdrawal. See also substance withdrawal.