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parallel processing

information processing in which two or more sequences of operations are carried out simultaneously by independent processors. A capacity for parallel processing in the human brain would account for people’s apparent ability to carry on different cognitive functions at the same time, such as driving a car while also listening to music and having a conversation. The term is usually reserved for processing at a higher, symbolic level, as opposed to the level of individual neural units described in models of parallel distributed processing. Also called simultaneous processing. Compare serial processing.

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Psychology term of the day

December 22nd 2024

family

family

n.

1. a kinship unit consisting of a group of individuals united by blood or by marital, adoptive, or other intimate ties. Although the family is the fundamental social unit of most human societies, its form and structure vary widely. See biological family; extended family; nuclear family; permeable family; stepfamily.

2. in biological taxonomy, a main subdivision of an order, consisting of a group of similar, related genera (see genus).

3. a collection of mathematically or statistically related entities. For example, a set of statistical tests conducted when there are more than two groups for an independent variable within an analysis of variance constitutes a family of tests. See also family-wise alpha level; family-wise error rate. —familial adj.