Psychology Glossary: D Index

A defense mechanism is a strategy used by the ego to protect itself from anxiety. Examples of defense mechanisms include compensation, repression and denial.

Delta waves are high amplitude brain waves that are associated with deep sleep.

A term used in psychology experiments to describe a cue that makes participants aware of what the experimenter expects to find...

Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making process...

Denial is a defense mechanisms that involves refusal to admit an obvious truth...

Dependent personality disorder is an enduring pattern of distorted thought, behavior, and life functioning...

The dependent variable is what is being measured in an experiment.

As the name suggests, descriptive statistics are used to describe what exists in a population.

Development describes the growth of humans throughout the lifespan, from conception to death...

Developmental milestones can be important markers of typical child development, but it is essential to remember that all children develop differently. Learn more about what a developmental milestone is and the different types of milestones that are used to track normal development.

Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon in which people are less likely to take action or feel a sense of responsibility in the presence of a large group of people...

In classical conditioning, discrimination refers to the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus...

Displacement involves taking out feelings and frustrations on things that are less threatening that the original sources of these emotions...

Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitters that is important for a number of different functions in the brain.

Double-blind studies are often used in psychology research to protect against the effects of demand characteristics.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) is used by clinicians and psychiatrists to diagnose psychiatric illnesses...

A term referring to the responsibility of a counselor or therapist to inform third parties or authorities if a client poses a threat to himself or herself or to another identifiable individual...