naive observer

1. an observer who has little or no prior information about the events that he or she is observing or the people involved in them. In psychology experiments, the reactions of a naive observer may be highly revealing when contrasted with those of other observers who have been given selected pieces of information (or misinformation) about the observed situation or the actors in it (e.g., that a particular individual has a criminal conviction).

2. in philosophy, an observer who adopts a position of naive realism.

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Psychology term of the day

January 11th 2025

dose–response relationship

a principle relating the potency of a drug to the efficacy of that drug in affecting a target symptom or organ system. Potency refers to the amount of a drug necessary to produce the desired effect; efficacy refers to the drug’s ability to act at a target receptor or organ to produce the desired effect. Dose–response curves may be graded, suggesting a continuous relationship between dose and effect, or quantal, wherein the desired effect is an either–or phenomenon, such as prevention of arrhythmias. There is considerable variability among individuals in response to a given dose of a particular drug.