stotting

n. a stiff-legged jumping display, shown by many species of ungulates, in which all four legs are off the ground at the same time. Stotting appears to communicate to predators that the individual has detected them and has enough vigor to make capture difficult. Studies show that predators are more likely to give up a hunt when an animal stots.

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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.