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crowding

n.

1. psychological tension produced in environments of high population density, especially when individuals feel that the amount of space available to them is insufficient for their needs. Crowding may have a damaging effect on mental health and may result in poor performance of complex tasks, stressor aftereffects, and increased physiological stress. In nonhuman animals, crowding can lead to impaired reproduction, decreased life expectancy, and a variety of pathological behaviors. Two key mechanisms underlying crowding are lack of control over social interaction (i.e., privacy) and the deterioration of socially supportive relationships. See also behavioral sink; density.

2. a phenomenon in which the perception of a suprathreshold target is impaired by nearby distractors, reflecting a fundamental limitation on visual spatial resolution. In reading, for example, letter recognition is reduced by crowding from adjacent letters. Also called crowding effect.

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Psychology term of the day

March 16th 2025

child care worker

child care worker

an individual trained to attend to children on a day-to-day basis in a variety of group settings, including child care centers, schools, businesses, private households, and health care institutions. Child care workers perform such tasks as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.