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dispersion measure

an index of variability, or how dispersed a set of values is for a given variable. Common measures of dispersion include the range, which is the highest minus the lowest score, and the standard deviation, which is the average distance of scores from the mean. The larger the dispersion measure, the more spread out the scores.

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Psychology term of the day

January 18th 2025

consistent missing

consistent missing

in parapsychology experiments using Zener cards or similar targets, the phenomenon in which a participant’s “calls,” or guesses, are consistently wrong or significantly below chance expectations. Some people attribute such systematic failure to processing error or a conscious or nonconscious reluctance to confirm psychic ability. See also psi-missing.