Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The forward part of the frontal lobes of the brain. An area of the brain in the front part of each hemisphere, in front of the frontal lobe, which is concerned with memory and learning. Region of the brain at the front part of each cerebral hemisphere; it is concerned with learning, memory, emotions, and…

A discredited biological theory that stated that every sperm cell contains the organism of its kind fully formed and that development consists merely of an increase in size, epigenesis.  

One who considers the development of an embryo as merely the growth of a miniature but completely formed individual, homunculus.  

A prepaid insurance plan or policy in which member hospitals and/or physicians contract with a third-party payer to deliver health services for negotiated fees, generally at a discount. An alternative delivery system (ADS) designed to compete with health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other delivery systems. A PPO is stated to be an arrangement involving a…

Used to assess the perceptual abilities of preverbal infants, babies are given a choice of two stimuli. Their preference is then evaluated.  

In men, a fluid that is secreted by the Cowper’s glands that counters the acidity of the urethra.  

A latent susceptibility to disease which may be activated under certain environmental conditions. Tendency to be affected by a particular disease or to develop or react in a certain way; it may be genetic or result from environmental factors (e.g., nutritional factors). A tendency to be affected by a particular disease or kind of disease.…

The factor that lowers the person’s stress tolerance and results in a disorder. Any characteristic of a person or community that motivates behavior related to health. Something that favors the development of a disease or condition.  

A measure of test’s validity based on correlation between the test score and some criterion of behavior the test predicted. In testing, a type of validity relating to how successfully a test predicts future performance, such as student success in preschool or college. The degree to which a test’s measurement of current variables accurately forecast…

A study that produces conditional statements from a functional relationship of variables.