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concept formation

the process by which a person abstracts a common idea from one or more particular examples and learns the defining features or combination of features that are characteristic of a class (e.g., those describing a bird) or that are necessary and sufficient to identify members of a class of objects, relations, or actions (e.g., the concepts triangle, above, or move). Also called concept acquisition; concept learning. See also abstraction.

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Psychology term of the day

January 24th 2025

butabarbital

butabarbital

n. an intermediate-acting barbiturate used in the treatment of insomnia and for daytime and preoperative sedation. Like other barbiturates, it is a nonselective CNS depressant and therefore quite toxic in overdose. Because tolerance to its sedative and hypnotic effects accrues much more rapidly than tolerance to its CNS depressant effects, its therapeutic index drops and its potential lethality increases as the dose is increased. These factors, plus its potential for abuse, have caused a decline in its clinical use. U.S. trade name: Butisol Sodium.