law of filial regression

the principle that inherited traits tend to revert toward the mean for the species; for example, very tall fathers tend to have sons shorter than themselves but taller than the population mean, and very short fathers tend to have sons taller than themselves but shorter than the population mean.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

divergent thinking

creative thinking in which an individual solves a problem or reaches a decision using strategies that deviate from commonly used or previously taught strategies. This term is often used synonymously with lateral thinking. Compare convergent thinking. [defined in 1967 by Joy Paul Guilford]