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cultural test bias

partiality of a test in favor of individuals from certain backgrounds at the expense of individuals from other backgrounds. The partiality may be in the content of the items, in the format of the items, or in the very act of taking a test itself. For example, suppose a verbal comprehension exam was delivered on a computer and incorporated passages, pictures, and questions drawn from American literature. The exam is likely to favor individuals who grew up in American families that could afford to have computers and a variety of books at home. In contrast, poorer individuals who emigrated to America and were without computers or many books in the home might find that the exam had some degree of cultural test bias. See also culturally loaded item; test bias.

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Psychology term of the day

November 22nd 2024

death instinct

death instinct

in psychoanalytic theory, a drive whose aim is the reduction of psychical tension to the lowest possible point, that is, death. It is first directed inward as a self-destructive tendency and is later turned outward in the form of the aggressive instinct. In the dual instinct theory of Sigmund Freud, the death instinct, or Thanatos, stands opposed to the life instinct, or Eros, and is believed to be the drive underlying such behaviors as aggressiveness, sadism, and masochism. See also nirvana principle.