Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


theoretical distribution

a distribution that is derived from certain principles or assumptions by logical and mathematical reasoning, as opposed to one derived from real-world data obtained by empirical research. Examples include the normal distribution, binomial distribution, and Poisson distribution. In general, the procedures of inferential statistics involve taking one or more empirically observed distributions and referring these to an appropriate theoretical distribution. When there is correspondence between an empirical and a theoretical distribution, the latter may be used to make inferences (predictions) about the probability of future empirical events. Also called reference distribution.

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

October 10th 2024

facial muscle

facial muscle

any one of the numerous muscles in the human face that control not only functional movements (e.g., biting, chewing) but also a variety of facial expressions.