Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


spatial updating

the ability of a moving person to mentally update the locations of objects initially seen, heard, or touched from a different observation point. This cognitive process is crucial for maintaining perceptual stability despite gross and frequent displacements of space following saccadic eye movements (see saccade) and other activities. It is an extraordinarily complex phenomenon involving several neural structures, including the hippocampus, the parieto-occipital sulcus, the precuneus, and posterior areas of the parietal cortex. See also spatial cognition.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

February 28th 2025

coaction task

coaction task

any performance, competition, work assignment, or other goal-oriented activity that individuals execute in the presence of one or more other individuals who are performing a similar type of task. Examples include an aerobics exercise session and students taking a written test in a classroom. Compare audience task.