Author Archives: Brian Hopkins

Spasticity involving one side of the body only; typically the upper limb is more affected than the lower limb . See Cerebral palsy, Spasticity

Spasticity mainly affecting the lower limbs; typically there is involvement of the upper limbs, but to a milder degree. First described by William John Little (1810-1894) in 1862. See Cerebral palsy, Grasp response, Periventricular leucomalacia (PVL), Periventricular leucomalacia (PVL), Spasticity

Neural coding according to this principle is based on the assumption that neural activation indicates the presence or absence of information, while the location of the neurone in the network determines what the information is about. Cortical neurons are assumed to implement the space code principle.  See Activation (in a connectionist model),, Neuron, Ventral pathway (or …

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Block-like masses of mesoderm, arranged in pairs lateral to the notochord and neural tube from which the vertebral column and musculature arise.  See Dermomyotome, Epimere, Hypomere, Mesoderm, Myotome, Neural tube, Neurulation, Notochord, Sclerotome

The area of cortex that gets input from part of the thalamus (ventrobasal complex), which in turn receives the most direct input from the skin.  It consists of three areas.  The primary (or somesthetic) somatosensory area occupies the post central gyrus just behind the central sulcus of the temporal lobe and maps body parts, with …

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That part of the nervous system concerned with sensory signals for external sense organs and with the control of skeletal muscles.  See Autonomic nervous system (ANS), Central nervous system (CNS), Motoneuron, Peripheral nervous system

Literally ‘only onself-ism’.  Related to scepticism (any view doubting whether something exists or is just a figment of our imagination).  Solipsism holds to the belief that nothing exists outside our own minds or that nothing can be shown to exist.  Piaget held that the newborn behaves as a solipsist.  See Constructivism, Other minds problem

A term used by Augustus Weismann (1834-1914) for the animal or plant body as a whole with the exception of the germ cells.  In contrast to the germ cells, they die with the individual (and thus are ‘mortal’).  See Germ plasm, Karyotype

See Action potential

Procedures in which children individually nominate the peers whom they like (attraction) and dislike (repulsion) the most.  In other words, they establish a child’s status in his or her peer group in terms of popularity or rejection.  The most widely used sociometric procedure is that to found in Coie, J.D., & Dodge, K.A. (1983). Continuities …

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