contact hypothesis

the proposition that interaction among people belonging to different groups will reduce intergroup prejudice. Research indicates that the prejudice-alleviating effects of contact are robust across many situations, but that they are strengthened when the people from the different groups are of equal status, are not in competition with each other, and do not readily categorize the others as very different from themselves. Also called intergroup-contact hypothesis.

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Psychology term of the day

April 26th 2024

slow learner

a child of lower-than-average intelligence. Such children are so designated despite the fact that a somewhat lower-than-average IQ does not necessarily imply slow learning. Slow learners are estimated at 15% to 17% of the average school population. They do not show marked variations from physical, social, and emotional norms and are usually placed in regular classes. The term slow learner is often imprecisely applied to children with mild intellectual disability as well as to children of normal capacity whose intellectual progress is slow.