social distance

the degree to which, psychologically speaking, a person or group wants to remain separate from members of different social groups. This reflects the extent to which individuals or groups accept others of a different ethnicity, race, nationality, or other social background.

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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.