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expectation

n.

1. a state of tense, emotional anticipation.

2. in probability and statistics, the long-term average of a random variable. For example, the expectation is that the mean for a specific random variable obtained with an extremely large sample will equal the mean of the population of interest. Also called expectancy. See expected value.

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Psychology term of the day

January 13th 2025

perceptual organizational deficit

perceptual organizational deficit

a phenomenon in which a subset of people with schizophrenia have particular difficulty visually integrating the parts of an object and seeing them as an ensemble. For example, if looking at a watch, they will perceive the hands, the dial, and the numbers as separate forms but will have difficulty processing the watch face as a whole. [coined by U.S. psychologist Steven M. Silverstein (1962–  )]