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catch trial

a trial within an experiment in which a stimulus is not present but the participants’ responses nonetheless are recorded. For example, in an experiment in which participants identify auditory signals, catch trials are those in which no signal is given. The use of a catch trial may help to estimate the level at which a participant is guessing when no stimulus is present. See also blank trial.

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Psychology term of the day

March 17th 2025

visual purple

visual purple

see pigment bleaching; rhodopsin.