foreplay

n. activity engaged in prior to coitus, marked by psychological as well as physical stimulation. The purpose of foreplay, which includes kissing, stroking, fantasizing, and similar activities, is to encourage sexual arousal in the participants. It may last from a few minutes to several hours.

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Psychology term of the day

November 24th 2024

regression sum of squares

(symbol: SS_regression) a number indicating the amount of variance in a dependent variable that can be explained by the variance in one or more associated independent variables. It thus describes how well a particular model fits the observed data. For example, in linear regression it is used to calculate a coefficient of determination or a coefficient of multiple determination, and in analysis of variance it is used to determine the total sum of squares and calculate an F ratio. Compare error sum of squares.