cellular automata

computer programs used in the study of artificial life. Typically, a display is used on a computer screen, split into an array of cells, with an initial pattern of occupied cells. The pattern evolves through a sequence of steps according to certain rules (e.g., whether or not certain numbers of neighboring cells are occupied). Programs of this type have been used in investigations of such phenomena as social behavior and evolutionary development. [developed in the 1940s by Austrian-born U.S. mathematician John von Neumann (1903–1957)]

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Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

Kretschmer typology

a controversial classification of individuals based on a “clear biological affinity” between specific physiques and specific personality tendencies. According to this classification, the short, stocky pyknic type tends to be jovial and subject to mood swings; the frail asthenic type is likely to be introversive and sensitive; the muscular athletic type is usually energetic and aggressive; and the disproportioned dysplastic type presents a combination of traits but tends toward the asthenic. These tendencies were attributed to endocrine secretions. [formulated in the 1920s by German psychiatrist Ernst Kretschmer (1888–1964)]