simulated family

a technique used in training and therapy in which hypothetical family situations are enacted. In training, the enactment is by clinicians or other professionals. In family therapy, one or more members of the family may participate with others, who play the roles of other family members. See also role play.

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Psychology term of the day

January 13th 2025

discontinuity hypothesis

in Gestalt psychology, the viewpoint that emphasizes the role of sudden insight and perceptual reorganization in successful discrimination learning and problem solving. According to this view, a correct answer is only recognized when its relation to the issue as a whole is discovered. Also called discontinuity theory. Compare continuity hypothesis. See also aha experience; all-or-none learning; eureka task.