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generalization

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
gen·er·al·i·za·tion  (jnr--l-zshn)
n.
1. The act or an instance of generalizing.
2. A principle, statement, or idea having general application.

generalization, generalisation [ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən]
n
1. a principle, theory, etc., with general application
2. the act or an instance of generalizing
3. (Psychology) Psychol the evoking of a response learned to one stimulus by a different but similar stimulus See also conditioning
4. (Philosophy / Logic) Logic the derivation of a general statement from a particular one, formally by prefixing a quantifier and replacing a subject term by a bound variable. If the quantifier is universal (universal generalization) the argument is not in general valid; if it is existential (existential generalization) it is valid
5. (Philosophy / Logic) Logic any statement ascribing a property to every member of a class (universal generalization) or to one or more members (existential generalization)
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.generalization - reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
colligation - the connection of isolated facts by a general hypothesis
2.generalization - an idea or conclusion having general application; "he spoke in broad generalities"
idea, thought - the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about; "it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind"
principle, rule - a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their principles of composition characterized all their works"
3.generalization - the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances
theorisation, theorization - the production or use of theories
4.generalization - (psychology) transfer of a response learned to one stimulus to a similar stimulus
carry-over, transfer of training, transfer - application of a skill learned in one situation to a different but similar situation
irradiation - (Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus
psychological science, psychology - the science of mental life

generalization
noun generality, abstraction, sweeping statement, loose statement He was making sweeping generalizations to get his point across.
Translations
generalization [ˌdʒenərəlaɪˈzeɪʃən] Ngeneralización f
generalization [ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən] generalisation (British) ngénéralisation f
to make sweeping generalizations about sth → faire des généralisations à l'emporte-pièce sur qch
generalization
generalization [ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃn] n (often pej) → generalizzazione f
generalization [ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃn] n (often pej) → generalizzazione f


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Generalization is always a new influx of the divinity into the mind.
Levin was confirmed in this generalization by observing that his brother did not take questions affecting the public welfare or the question of the immortality of the soul a bit more to heart than he did chess problems, or the ingenious construction of a new machine.
She scored that sheet very effectively, and, choosing a fresh one, began at a great rate with a generalization upon the structure of human society, which was a good deal bolder than her custom.
 
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