Bessel’s correction

an adjustment used to reduce bias when calculating the variance and standard deviation in a sample. Specifically, it is the use of n − 1 instead of n in the denominator of the computational formulas used to compute these values, where n is the number of observations in the sample. [Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (1784–1846), German-born Russian astronomer and mathematician]

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Psychology term of the day

February 17th 2025

sexually dimorphic nucleus

a nucleus of the central nervous system that differs in size between males and females. In humans, for example, a nucleus in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus that synthesizes gonadotropin-releasing hormone tends to be larger and more active in males than in females because gonadotropin release is continuous (it is cyclical in females). In songbirds whose males sing more than females, several brain nuclei associated with both song learning and song production are larger in males than in females.