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attention shifting

moving the focus of attention from one location to another. Shifts can be made intentionally or caused automatically by the abrupt onset of a stimulus. For intentional shifts, a spatial cue must be presented a few hundred milliseconds before the displayed information to allow attention to be shifted to the cued location.

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Psychology term of the day

January 2nd 2025

rank biserial correlation coefficient

rank biserial correlation coefficient

an index of association between a dichotomous variable and an ordinal variable. Its interpretation is the same as for other standardized measures of association. For example, a researcher might relate experimental condition (experimental vs. control group) to an ordinal measure of task performance. Compare point biserial correlation coefficient. See biserial correlation coefficient.