Final Exam

The component of the information processing system in which incoming stimulus information is stored for a split second to allow it to be processed. (Also called the sensory register.)

The component of the information processing system in which current, conscious mental activity occurs. (Also called the short-term memory.)

The component of the information processing system in which virtually limitless amounts of information can be stored indefinitely.

The ability to understand how memory works in order to use it well. Metamemory is an essential element of metacognition.

The field that uses insights into typical development to understand and remediate developmental disorders, and vice versa.

The American Psychiatric Association's official guide to the diagnostics (not treatment) of mental disorders. (IV-TR means "fourth edition, text revision." The fifth edition is scheduled to be published in 2011.)

A condition in which a person in inattentive, impulsive, and overactive and thus has great difficulty concentrating for more than a few moments.

The presence of two or more unrelated disease conditions at the same time in the same person.

A marked delay in a particular area of learning that is not caused by an apparent physical disability, by mental retardation, or by an unusually stressful home environment.

Unusual difficulty with reading; thought to be the result of some neurological underdevelopment.

Any of several disorders characterized by impaired communication, inadequate social skills, and unusual patterns of play.

A developmental disorder marked by an inability to relate to other people normally, extreme self-absorbtion, and an inability to acquire normal speech.

An autistic spectrum disorder characterized by extreme attention to details and deficient social understanding.