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law of similarity

1. a principle of association stating that like produces like: Encountering or thinking about something (e.g., one’s birthday month) tends to bring to mind other similar things (e.g., other people one knows with the same birthday month). The law of similarity is fundamental to associationism.

2. see similarity.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

divergent thinking

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]