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efficiency

n.

1. a measure of the ability of an organization, work unit, or individual employee to produce the maximum output with a minimum investment of time, effort, and other inputs. Given the same level of output, efficiency increases as the time, effort, and other inputs taken to produce that level decrease. Also called industrial efficiency; organizational efficiency. See also organizational effectiveness.

2. in statistics, the degree to which an estimator uses all the information in a sample to estimate a particular parameter. It is a measure of the optimality of an estimator when comparing various statistical procedures or experimental designs. —efficient adj.

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Psychology term of the day

November 25th 2024

cause

cause

n.

1. an event or state that brings about another (its effect).

2. in Aristotelian and rationalist philosophy, an entity or event that is a requirement for another entity or event’s coming to be. Aristotle proposed that there were four types of cause—material, formal, efficient, and final. In the case of a sculpture, for example, the material cause is the stone or metal from which it is made, the formal cause is the form or structure that it takes, the efficient cause is the sculptor, and the final cause is the sculptor’s aim or purpose in making it. —causal adj.