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hard determinism

the doctrine that human actions and choices are causally determined by forces and influences over which a person exercises no meaningful control. The term can also be applied to nonhuman events, implying that all things must be as they are and could not possibly be otherwise. Compare soft determinism. See determinism.

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Psychology term of the day

November 16th 2024

Doppler effect

Doppler effect

the apparent increase or decrease in wavelength or frequency observed when a source of electromagnetic radiation or sound approaches or recedes from the observer or listener, producing a change in hue or pitch. The total Doppler effect may result from motion of the source, observer, or medium (such as a sound wave). [Christian Andreas Doppler (1803–1853), Austrian mathematician]