zero-sum game

in game theory, a type of game in which the players’ gains and losses add up to zero. The total amount of resources available to the participants is fixed, and therefore one player’s gain necessarily entails the others’ loss. The term is used particularly in analyses of bargaining and economic behavior but is sometimes also used in other sociocultural contexts (e.g., politics). Compare non-zero-sum game.

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Psychology term of the day

January 13th 2025

occupational counseling

an early 20th-century approach to vocational guidance. Three steps were identified in the process: (a) relevant knowledge of self, (b) realistic knowledge of occupations, and (c) true reasoning in making sensible choices. [proposed by U.S. educator Frank Parsons (1854–1908)]