object-superiority effect

in visual perception tasks, the finding that judgments about a briefly presented line are made more efficiently when the line is part of a drawing of a three-dimensional object than when it is part of a two-dimensional figure. See configural superiority effect; word-superiority effect.

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Psychology term of the day

February 12th 2025

ethics of animal research

the complex set of issues relating to the ethics of manipulating nonhuman animals experimentally, holding them in captivity, and using them for the purpose of research. Some argue that any animal research is unethical because animals cannot give informed consent. Others see value in animal research if the animals are well cared for and treated humanely. See animal care and use; Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.