group fallacy

1. the assumption, regarded as erroneous, that the actions and experiences of people in groups cannot be understood completely through analysis of the qualities of the individual members.

2. the mistaken assumption that a group is totally uniform, whereas in fact members differ from one another in many respects. See also outgroup homogeneity bias.

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Psychology term of the day

February 16th 2025

sun compass

the use of the sun as a directional stimulus in orientation and navigation. Because the sun appears to move across the sky during the day and has different trajectories in different seasons, a sun compass must be coupled with some form of time estimation. To head south at 9 a.m., one needs to keep the sun on the left, but at 3 p.m., one needs to keep the sun on the right. Studies of several species, ranging from bees to fish and birds, have demonstrated a time-compensated sun compass. For nocturnal species, there is evidence of a star compass.