A Piagetian concept meaning ‘structures of the whole’. Refers to the idea that within a given stage of cognitive development (e.g., concrete or formal operations), thinking is organized as a general structure that has wide applicability to many different tasks. This stands in contrast to the idea that thinking is modular or composed of multiple …
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Structure-function relationships
In the social sciences, the problem is to relate observable functions to unobservable and hypothetical structures. In the neurosciences, brain structures can be identified by various means and the problem is then to know what functions they serve. In the study of ontogenetic development, the ongoing issue is to account for the ways in which …
Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI)
An imaging technique that characterizes neuroanatomical structures of the brain and other body parts through the influence of a large magnet that polarises hydrogen atoms in tissues, followed by monitoring the summation of the spinning energies to reconstruct an overall image with the aid of computer processing. See Brain (neuro-) imaging, Diffusion tensor imaging, Magnetic resonance …
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Structural proteins
The basic components of cells that produce their physical form in combination with other molecules. See Elastin (gene), Proteins, Structural genes
Structural imaging
Began with early radiographic techniques (e.g., angiogram), but the brain and any abnormalities remained unclear due to the fact it mainly consists of soft tissue. Images of the ventricles (fluid filled spaces) within the brain were obtained by the painful procedure of air injection. With the advent of computerised axial tomography (CAT ) using X-rays, detailed …
Structural growth model
A parametric model for mathematically fitting longitudinal growth data for individuals (e.g., double and triple logistic, Preece-Baines modified logistic). The form of the curve to be fitted is defined by a set of pre-determined parameters of the growth process. The model is applied primarily to height and skeletal dimensions . See Non-structural growth model
Structural genes
A gene that controls and specifies the production of a specific structural protein or peptide rather than transcription factors, its main product being messenger RNA. See DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), Gene, Jacob-Monod operon model, Mutation (biology), Regulator (or regulatory) genes, RNA (ribonucleic acid), Phyletic gradualism and punctuated equilibrium
Stroop test
In the classical Stroop test, subjects are asked to name the color of ink (red, green, blue etc.) in which is written various color words. These either match the ink colour (congruent condition) or contrast with it (incongruent condition). Performance is rated by differences in errors and reaction times across these two conditions. Other …
Structural equation modeling (SEM)
A general set of mathematical and statistical techniques for the estimation and evaluation of a variety of ‘structural’ hypotheses represented by a set of parameters compared to observed summary statistics. In effect, it combines features of multiple regression and factor analysis to identify relationships between latent variables. See Akaike’s information criterion, Causal pathways, Factor analysis, …
Striated (or striped or voluntary) muscle
A voluntary (mainly skeletal) muscle that contracts faster than smooth muscle and is unlike it in having transverse alternating stripes of myosin and actin myofilaments. They are made up of myofibrils, which have many nuclei. Cardiac muscle is striped, but is exceptional in being involuntary. See Actin, Actomyosin, Axial muscle, Cardiac muscle, Creatine, Electrolyte, Epimere, …
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