Dictionary of Terms

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Wavelength The distance between adjacent waves of radiant energy; in vision most closely associated with the perceptual dimension of hue.

Weber Fraction The ratio between a just-noticeable difference and the magnitude of a stimulus; reasonably constant over the middle range of most stimulus intensities.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) An intelligence test for adults devised by David Wechsler; contains eleven subtests divided into the categories of verbal and performance.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) An intelligence test for children devised by David Wechsler; similar in form to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

Wernickeís Aphasia A disorder caused by damage to the left temporal and parietal cortex, including Wernickeís area; characterized by deficits in the perception of speech and by the production of fluent but rather meaningless speech.

Wernickeís Area A region of auditory association cortex located in the upper part of the left temporal lobe; involved in the recognition of spoken words.

White Matter The portions of the central nervous system that are abundant in axons rather than cell bodies of neurons. The color derives from the presence of the axonsí myelin sheaths.

Whole-Word Reading Reading by recognizing a word as a whole; "sight reading."

Withdrawal Symptom An effect produced by discontinuance of use of a drug after a period of continued use; generally opposite to the drugís primary effects.

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