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social zone

the distance zone adopted between people engaged in relationships of a relatively formal nature, such as attorney and client. The social zone is defined as the area of 1.25 to 3.5 m (4–11½ ft) from a person. See proxemics. Compare intimate zone; personal distance zone; public distance zone.

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Psychology term of the day

January 13th 2025

discontinuity hypothesis

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.