law of contrast

a principle of association stating that opposites are reminders of one another: encountering or thinking about one (e.g., a snow-covered field) tends to bring to mind the other (e.g., a sunny beach). Initially proposed as a distinct, essential concept in associationism, the law of contrast later came to be viewed as a special case of the law of contiguity.

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Psychology term of the day

February 25th 2025

simple structure

in exploratory factor analysis, a set of criteria for determining the adequacy of a factor rotation solution. These criteria require that each factor show a pattern of high factor loadings on certain variables and near-zero loadings on others and that each variable load on only one factor. This minimizes the complexity of the factor solution, allows each variable to be most strongly identified with a specific factor, and increases interpretability.