Abstractions. Words that are general rather than specific. Aircraft is an abstraction; airplane is less abstract; jet is more specific; and jet airliner is still more specific.

Aeronautical decision-making (ADM). A systematic approach to the mental process used by aircraft pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances.

Affective domain. A grouping of levels of learning associated with a person’s attitudes, personal beliefs, and values which range from receiving through responding, valuing, and organization to characterization.

Air traffic control (ATC). A service provided by the FAA to promote the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic.

Aircraft checkouts. An instructional program designed to familiarize and qualify a pilot to act as pilot in command of a particular aircraft type.

Airman Certification Standards (ACS). An FAA published list of standards which must be met for the issuance of a particular pilot certificate or rating. FAA inspectors and designated pilot examiners use these standards when conducting pilot practical tests and flight instructors should use the ACS while preparing applicants for practical tests.

Anxiety. Mental discomfort that arises from the fear of anything, real or imagined. May have a potent effect on actions and the ability to learn from perceptions.

Application. A basic level of learning at which the individual puts something to use that has been learned and understood.

Application step. The third step of the teaching process, where the learner performs the procedure or demonstrates the knowledge required in the lesson. In the telling-and-doing technique of flight instruction, this step consists of the learner doing the procedure while explaining it.

Area of operation. A phase of the practical test within the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) or the Practical Test Standards (PTS).

ATC. See air traffic control.

Attitude. A personal motivational predisposition to respond to persons, situations, or events in a given manner that can, nevertheless, be changed or modified through training as a sort of mental shortcut to decision-making.

Attitude management. The ability to recognize one’s own hazardous attitudes and the willingness to modify them as necessary through the application of appropriate antidotal thoughts.

Authentic assessment. An assessment in which the learner is asked to perform real-world tasks, and demonstrate a meaningful application of skills and competencies.

Basic need. A perception factor that describes a person’s ability to maintain and enhance the organized self.

Behaviorism. Theory of learning that stresses the importance of having a particular form of behavior reinforced by someone other than the learner to shape or control what is learned.

Bookmark. A means of saving addresses on the World Wide Web (WWW) for easy future access. Usually done by selecting a button on the web browser screen, it saves the current web address so it does not have to be input again in a lengthy series of characters.

Branching. A programming technique which allows users of interactive video, multimedia courseware, or online training to choose from several courses of action in moving from one sequence to another.