Whorfian hypothesis (or linguistic relativity)

The proposal that language, by providing habitual modes of expression, predisposes people to see the world in a certain way √± different for different languages √± and thus guides their thinking and behaviour. Sometimes referred to as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis after the anthropologist Edward Sapir (1884-1939) and his student, the linguist Benjamin L. Whorf (1897-1943) …

Whole is greater than the sum of its parts

A catchphrase of general system theory and related approaches intended as an antidote to radical or ‘greedy’ reductionism.  It conveys the message that the behavior of complex systems cannot be explained from an analysis of its individual components.  Rather, it is the interactions or relationships between the components that gives rise to the emergence of properties …

White matter

Whitish nervous tissue of the central nervous system consisting of neurons, connective fibers and their myelin sheaths, together with associated glia cells and blood vessels.  See Cell migration, Central nervous system (CNS), Direct corticospinal connections or tracts, Glia cells, Gray matter, Internal capsule, Limbic cortices, Lissencephaly, Medulla oblongata, Myelin, Myelination, Oligodendrocytes, Periventricular white matter, Prefrontal …

Welfare-to-work studies

Research studies that examine the effects of the changes in US federal policies regarding cash welfare receipt embodied in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PROWRA) of 1996.  These studies particularly focus on its repeal of the Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and its replacement with Temporary Aid to Needy …

Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children and Adults (WISC-III)

Commonly used individually administered intelligence test consisting of a set of verbal and performance problems designed to determine whether a child or adult can solve the same problems as typical individuals of the same age. Originally developed in 1939 as the Wechsler-Bellevue scale by David Wechsler (1896-1981).  See ‘g’, Intelligence, Leiter International Performance Scale, Theory of …

Walking

In humans, walking is bipedal locomotion in which the legs alternate (180aa out-of-phase) their step cycles as one foot moves ahead of the other.  A step cycle includes a swing phase in which the leg leaves the ground and swings forward to re-establish contact with the surface at which point the leg enters the stance phase …