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1. the governing or limitation of certain objects, events, or physical responses.
2. a standard against which experimental observations may be evaluated, as a procedure identical to the experimental procedure except for the absence of the one factor being studied.
3. conscious restraint and regulation of impulses and suppression of instincts and affects.
4. a patient or group differing from the case or treated group under study by lacking the disease or by having a different or absent treatment or regimen. The controls and subjects usually otherwise have certain similarities to allow or enhance comparison between them.
automatic brightness control an automated exposure device used in radiology; it senses light and adjusts itself to produce a predetermined fluoroscopic density.
automatic exposure control a timer by which the exposure of x-ray film is determined by the radiographer but the length of exposure is determined by the equipment.
aversive control in behavior therapy, the use of unpleasant stimuli to change undesirable behavior.
birth control see birth control.
hemorrhage control in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as reduction or elimination of rapid and excessive blood loss.
infection control see infection control.
infection control: intraoperative in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as preventing nosocomial infection in the operating room.
motor control the generation and coordination of movement patterns to produce function; it may either control movements of the body in space or stabilize the body in space. See also postural control.
postural control motor control that stabilizes the body in space by integrating sensory input about body position (somatosensory, visual, and vestibular input) with motor output to coordinate the action of muscles and keep the body's center of mass within its base of support. An important aspect of postural control is the righting reactions. Called also balance.
stimulus control any influence exerted by the environment on behavior.
An involuntary neurological loop consisting of motor, sensory, and integrative processes used to maintain the body's position relative to gravity and of its segments relative to each other for stability. Postural control relies on information from the vestibular and somatosensory systems and visual cues. Balance is a hallmark of postural control. See: balance; proprioception