repertory grid

a technique used to analyze an individual’s personal constructs. A number of significant concepts are selected, each of which is rated by the participant on a number of dimensions using a numerical scale. The findings are displayed in matrix form and can be subjected to statistical analysis to reveal correlations. The repertory grid was developed principally as a means of analyzing personal relationships but has also been used to determine the complexity of a person’s thinking (cognitive complexity) and in various other applications. [introduced by George A. Kelly]

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

weapons effect

increased hostility or a heightened inclination to aggression produced by the mere sight of a weapon. If provoked, individuals who have previously been shown a weapon will behave more aggressively than will those who have not. Subsequent research has indicated that this aggressive behavior is primed by the sight or suggestion of weapons (see priming) and that any other object associated with aggression can have the same effect. [identified in 1967 by U.S. psychologists Leonard Berkowitz (1926– ) and Anthony LePage]