defensive processing

the seeking out, attending to, encoding, interpreting, or elaborating of attitude-relevant information to support or confirm one’s initial attitude. For example, defensive processing can involve avoiding attitude-inconsistent information and seeking out attitude-consistent information. Similarly, it can involve elaborating attitude-inconsistent information in a highly critical fashion in order to refute it. See also biased elaboration; counterargument; selective information processing.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

mental chemistry

a concept proposed by John Stuart Mill as an alternative to the mental mechanics described by his father, James Mill. The concept is modeled on a common phenomenon in physical chemistry, in which two chemical substances combine to form a compound with properties not present in either of the components. Similarly, Mill held that compound ideas were not merely combinations of simpler ideas but that they possessed other qualities not present in any of the constituent ideas. Thus, such an idea could be an essentially new one. See associationism; association of ideas.