design for the average

the principle that equipment for human use should be designed for average human dimensions, thereby sacrificing the extreme dimensions (e.g., below the 5th and above the 95th percentiles). Although no truly “average” person exists, this principle is used when adjustable designs cannot be developed and it is impossible or impracticable to design for the extremes. Compare design for adjustable range; universal design.

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Psychology term of the day

December 25th 2024

actor–observer effect

in attribution theory, the tendency for individuals acting in a situation to attribute the causes of their behavior to external or situational factors, such as social pressure, but for observers to attribute the same behavior to internal or dispositional factors, such as personality. See fundamental attribution error. See also dispositional attribution; situational attribution. [introduced in 1971 by U.S. psychologists Edward E. Jones (1926–1993) and Richard E. Nisbett (1941– )]