active voice

in linguistics, the category of a verb in which the grammatical subject of the clause or sentence is the agent of the action and the grammatical object is its patient. The great majority of English sentences are constructed using the active voice. The active voice is illustrated by the sentence The thief stole the purse, as opposed to The purse was stolen by the thief. Compare passive voice.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

contrast effect

1. the perception of an intensified or heightened difference between two stimuli or sensations when they are juxtaposed or when one immediately follows the other. Examples include the effect produced when a trombone follows a violin or when bright yellow and red are viewed simultaneously.

2. in psychology experiments, an effect in which participants’ judgments shift away from an anchor after it is introduced. Compare assimilation effect.