cautious shift

a choice shift in which an individual making a decision as part of a group adopts a more cautious approach than the same individual would have adopted had he or she made the decision alone. Studies suggest that such shifts are (a) rarer than the opposite risky shift and (b) most likely to occur when the majority of the members of the group, prior to discussion, favor a cautious rather than a risky choice. See also group polarization.

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Psychology term of the day

February 1st 2025

Spearman–Brown prophecy formula

the mathematical formulation of a basic tenet of classical test theory concerning the length (number of items) of a test and its influence on reliability, whereby increasing the number of items with similar content results in increased reliability for the test, and decreasing the number of items leads to decreased reliability. The formula allows a researcher to estimate the gains or losses in reliability that would occur with changes in test size. Also called Spearman–Brown prediction formula. [Charles Spearman; W. Brown, 20th-century British psychologist]