Glossary B

Blaming the victim refers to our tendency to blame individuals (make dispositional attributions) for their victimization, typically motivated by a desire to see the world as a fair place

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Blank lineup refers to a group of individuals that does not include the suspect; everyone in the lineup is known to be innocent It is a lineup in which all the lineup members are known to be innocent of the crime

Blarney is a term which is defined as: (1) Flattery (2) Misleading talk. The word which is after the Blarney stone, a stone in Blarney Castle in Blarney village, near Cork, Ireland which, according to legend, gives the gift of the gab to anyone who kisses it.

Blastocyst refers to the hollow ball of embryonic cells that enters the uterus from the Fallopian tube and eventually implants. It is a stage within the germinal period of pre-natal development in which the zygote has the form of a sphere of cells surrounding a cavity of fluid.

Blatherskite is defined as 1. A person who babbles about inane matters. 2. Nonsense or foolish talk.

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Blaxploitation is defined as an exploitation of Black people, especially in the American film industry, by casting them in negative, stereotypical roles and by failing to depict in the films the realities of Black life. Blaxploitation is usually used to modify another noun - the blaxploitation movies; the blaxploitation genre. The word is a blend of black and exploitation.

Blend means to become part of surrounding activities or culture. Blend is also used to refer to speech error in which two (2) or more words are combined.

Blended (or reconstituted) families refer to new families resulting from cohabitation or remarriage that include a parent, one or more children, and step-relations. It is a family consisting of a biological parent, a step-parent, and children