empirical validity

the degree to which the accuracy of a test, model, or other construct can be demonstrated through experimentation and systematic observation (i.e., the accumulation of supporting research evidence) rather than theory alone.

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Psychology term of the day

January 11th 2025

deficiency motivation

in Abraham Maslow’s humanistic psychology, the type of motivation operating on the lower four levels of his hierarchy of needs (see Maslow’s motivational hierarchy). Deficiency motivation is characterized by the striving to correct a deficit that may be physiological or psychological in nature. Compare metamotivation.