dishonest signal

among nonhuman animals, a signal that provides misleading information about the size, quality, or intention of an individual. Dishonest signals include alarm calls that scare away other group members, with the result that the animal gains better access to food, and a misleading impression of great vigor that attracts mates. Some have argued that dishonest signals are more compatible with the competitive process of natural selection than are honest signals. See deception.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

weapons effect

increased hostility or a heightened inclination to aggression produced by the mere sight of a weapon. If provoked, individuals who have previously been shown a weapon will behave more aggressively than will those who have not. Subsequent research has indicated that this aggressive behavior is primed by the sight or suggestion of weapons (see priming) and that any other object associated with aggression can have the same effect. [identified in 1967 by U.S. psychologists Leonard Berkowitz (1926– ) and Anthony LePage]