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laws of learning

statements describing the circumstances under which learning generally occurs. Over the centuries, such laws have been hypothesized and studied by philosophers such as Aristotle, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill and physiologist Ivan Pavlov, among others: The modern laws of learning were formalized in 1911 by Edward L. Thorndike and have been modified numerous times since. Among the currently accepted laws of learning are the law of effect, the law of contiguity, the law of frequency, the primacy effect, and the recency effect.

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Psychology term of the day

February 24th 2025

simple structure

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.