recapitulation theory

1. the hypothesis that the stages of embryological development of an organism mirror the morphological stages of evolutionary development characteristic of the species; that is, ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. The theory was abandoned early in the 20th century when embryology showed no consistent correspondence between ontogeny and phylogeny. [proposed by German biologist Ernst H. Haeckel (1834–1919)]

2. the extension of the principle of recapitulation to a child’s mental and behavioral development. [proposed by G. Stanley Hall]

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Psychology term of the day

February 21st 2025

Hoover’s sign

a diagnostic test for neurological (as distinct from psychological) hemiplegia in which the individual in a reclining position attempts to raise the paralyzed leg: An individual with true hemiplegia reflexively presses down the heel of the healthy leg during the test. The absence of the downward movement is a positive Hoover’s sign and suggests psychogenic paresis or malingering. [Charles Franklin Hoover (1865–1927), U.S. physician]