In ethology, a stereotyped behavior pattern, the form of which is determined by a specific pattern of impulses generated in the central nervous system, and which is relatively uninfluenced by learning. A vacuum activity is the occurrence of a FAP in the apparent absence of its releaser or sign stimulus. In contemporary ethology, the term …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Fixed effects
Commonlyidentified as the effects due to variables representing experimentalmanipulations (i.e., differences in outcomes under different experimentalconditions) or to variables representing stimulus, participant or higher-levelsampling unit attributes (i.e., differences in outcomes correlated with differentvalues of some attributes). In practice, the distinction between random effectsand fixed effects is difficult to motivate consistently (Gelman & Hill,2007). Gelman, A.,& …
Fixed, free and equal parameters
In the estimation of any structural model, parameters can be 1. fixed at a known value (e.g., 0.0 ( 1/2 or 0.5), 2. free to take on a value based on the available data, or 3. required to be equal (or invariant) to any other parameter in the model. See Structural equation modeling (SEM)
Fisher’s theory of evolutionary mimicry
A theory derived by Ronald A. Fisher (1890-1962) from two earlier theories, namely, Batesian mimicry as announced by Henry W. Bates (1825-1892) in 1861 and Müllerian mimicry published by Fritz Müller (1821-1897) in 1879. The evolution of mimicry such that a unprotected organism (e.g., a caterpillar) acquires the colour or form of a unpalatable species …
Five factor model
A theory developed using factor analyses of ratings of the words people use to describe personality characteristics, stating that personality is composed of five primary associated dimensions (OCEAN): openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Research findings on the five factors have revealed the following: they are dimensions, not types, with individuals varying continuously on them …
FISH analysis
See Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).
Finger-tapping task
In such tasks, the participant must tap the forefinger of each hand at a specified rate, either at a ‘comfortable’ (self-paced) rate or “as fast as you can.” Some investigators complicate the task by requiring both hands to tap a regular rhythm, but with one hand tapping twice for each single tap of the other …
First law of thermodynamics
The law of conservation energy, first discovered by James Prescott Joule (1818-1889) in 1851, which holds that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but that it can change form. It applies to closed systems in which the total amount of energy of all kinds is constant. While all natural processes conform to this law, …
Fine motor abilities
Movements that require small subtle muscular coordination such as object manipulation, fastening buttons, and writing, typically coordinated with movements of the eyes and performed with the requisite postural control (e.g.,of trunk muscles). When applied to fingers and hands, it is usually referred to as manual dexterity. See Direct corticomotoneuronal connections (or …
Final common pathway
Introduced into neurophysiology by Charles S. Sherrington (1857-1952), it forms part of the principle of convergence of connections. Take, for example, the case of one neuron that has many synaptic connections with other nerve cells. The sum of the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic effects at any one moment determines the activity of the neuron. This …