situational differences

any distinction arising from environmental characteristics, as opposed to individual differences. For example, in a study of men and women in social settings versus business settings, the amount of positive emotion displayed by the participants may be explained not only by gender (e.g., females tending to exhibit more positive emotion) but also by the situation (more positive emotions in a social setting regardless of whether the participant is male or female).

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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.