Vocabulary: M

Manifest Content - according to Freud, the plot of a dream at a surface level Matching hypothesis - the idea the males and females of approximately equal physical attractiveness are likely to select each other as partners Maturation - development that reflects the gradual unfolding of one's genetic blueprint MDMA - ecstacy, related to both amphetamines and hallucinogens Mean - the arithmetic average of the scores in a distribution Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) - the average length of children's spoken statements Meditation - a family of mental exercises in which a conscious attempt is made to focus attention in a nonanalytical way Median - the score that falls exactly in the center of a distribution of scores Menarche - the first occurence of menstruation Mental Set - persisting in using problem-solving strategies that have worked in the past Mental Retardation - subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in every day living skills originating by 18 Mentalinguistic Awareness - the ability to reflect on the use of language Message - the information transmitted by a source Meta-analysis - combining the statistical results of many studies of the same question, yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variable's effect Midbrain - the segment of the brainstem that lies between the hindbrain and forebrain Midlife crisis - a difficult, turbulant time of doubts and reappraisal of one's life Mode - The score that occurs most frequently in a distribution Model - a person whose behavior is observed by another Monocular Depth Cues - cues about distance based on images from one eye Morphemes - the smallest unit of meaning in a language Motion Parallax - depth cues involving objects at different distances moving at different rates Motivation - goal-directed behavior Motor Development - the progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities Mutation - a spotaneous heritable change in DNA that occurs in the individual Myelin Sheath - insulating material, derived from glial cells, that encases some axons and neurons