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Long-term memory (LTM)—the relatively permanent and unlimited capacity memory system into which information from short-term memory may pass.

Long-term potentiation (LTP)—an increase in a synapse’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation and possibly the neural basis for learning and memory.

Longitudinal research—a method of assessing developmental changes by evaluating the same group of people at different times in their lives.

Lucid dreaming—the ability to be aware of and direct one’s dreams.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—more detailed computerized images using a magnetic field and pulses of radio waves that cause emission of signals that depend upon the density of tissue.

Maintenance rehearsal—repeating a given item over and over again extends your short-term memory usually limited to about 20 seconds.

Major (clinical) depression—persistent and severe feelings of sadness (dysphoria) and worthlessness accompanied by changes in appetite, sleeping, and behavior.

Maladaptive behavior—is behavior which is counterproductive; interferes with one’s interaction in society and a factor in mental illness.

Mandala—According to Jung, is a type of magical circle symbolizing the self archetype in the collective unconscious.

Mania—excessive emotional arousal (euphoria) and wild, exuberant, unrealistic activity.

Manifest content—according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream.

Maturation—the biological growth processes that bring about orderly changes in behavior, thought or physical growth, relatively unaffected by experience (nature argument).

Mean—the arithmetic average of a set of scores.

Median—the middle score when a set of data is ordered by size.

Medulla oblongata—part of brainstem that regulates heart rhythm, blood flow, breathing rate, digestion, vomiting.

Memory—human capacity to register, retain, and retrieve information over time; the persistence of learning.

Menarche—first menstrual period at about age 12½, marks female fertility.

Menopause—the cessation of the ability to reproduce accompanied by a decrease in production of female sex hormones.

Mental age—a measure of your intellectual development; the level of mental development relative to others.

Mental retardation—intellectual deficiency characterized by intelligence quotient at least two standard deviations below the mean and difficulty in adapting to and coping with environmental demands of independent living.

Mental set—tendency to apply problem-solving methods that have worked in the past rather than trying new or different strategies to solve a new problem, which may or may not help solve the problem.

Mere exposure effect—the formation of a positive attitude toward a person, place, or thing based solely on repeated exposure to that person, place, or thing; often used in advertising as form of subtle persuasion.

Mesomorph—one of three body types (domineering, aggressive, muscular) developed in Sheldon’s personality theory that correlates personality traits and physique.

Meta-analysis—the systematic statistical method for synthesizing the results of numerous research studies dealing with the same variables.

Metabolism—the sum total of all chemical processes that occur in our bodies which are necessary to keep us alive.

Metacognition—thinking about how we think.

Method of loci—a mnemonic device which uses visualization of familiar objects on a familiar path to recall information in a list.

Misattribution error—distortion of information at retrieval resulting from confusion about the source of information, as when we put words in someone else’s mouth.

Misinformation effect—the tendency for people to incorporate misleading information into their memories of a given event as evidenced in eyewitness testimony.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)—most widely used objective test of personality, originally designed to distinguish individuals with different psychological problems from normal individuals; today used in attempting