error analysis

1. the study of human factors and engineering-design factors that may result in production or operation errors. See also accident analysis; failure modes and effects analysis; fault tree analysis; job-safety analysis.

2. a systematic analysis of the language corpus obtained from second-language learners to identify ways in which the linguistic forms systematically deviate from target-language norms and to make inferences about the learner’s state of second-language development. See fossilization; interlanguage; language transfer.

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Psychology term of the day

January 11th 2025

optical scanner

1. a device for examining small or isolated areas by means of reflected or projected light. It is used in various chemical and physiological studies, for example, to determine the density of red blood cells in a blood sample and to identify molecules of a sugar or amino acid.

2. a device for converting photographs, print, and other visual material into digital representations that can be stored in a computer and treated as data (for transmission, modification, or printing).