contrast

1. that state in which the differences between one percept, thing, event, or idea and another are emphasized by a comparison of their qualities. This may occur when the stimuli are juxtaposed (simultaneous contrast) or when one stimulus immediately follows the other (successive contrast). For example, meeting a person in a social context that includes physically attractive people could lead to a more negative evaluation of the attractiveness of that person than would have been the case otherwise. The evaluation of the person’s attractiveness has been contrasted away from the social context. Compare assimilation.

2. in statistics, see comparison.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

Labor Management Relations Act

a series of amendments to the National Labor Relations Act that were passed in 1947 to adjust the power balance between unions and employers in the United States, the previous system being regarded as too restrictive of management. The act identified and prohibited certain unfair labor practices of both unions and employers, created the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to aid in resolution of disputes, and provided a mechanism for dealing with strikes that create a national emergency. Sponsored by U.S. lawyer and politician Robert Alphonso Taft (1889–1953) and U.S. politician Fred Allan Hartley Jr. (1902–1969), it is also known as the Taft–Hartley Act.