exhaustive search

any search process in which every item of a set is checked before a decision is made about the presence or absence of a target item. This may be a search for particular items in memory, a visual search, or any problem-solving exercise that involves choosing the best path to a solution from a number of alternative paths. Compare self-terminating search. See also algorithm; heuristic search.

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Psychology term of the day

July 27th 2024

analogies test

a test of the participant’s ability to comprehend the relationship between two items and then extend that relationship to a different situation: For example, paintbrush is to paint as pen is to ___.