generalization

[ jen-er-uh-luh-zey-shuh n ]
/ ˌdʒɛn ər ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR generalization ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of generalizing.
a result of this process; a general statement, idea, or principle.
Logic.
  1. a proposition asserting something to be true either of all members of a certain class or of an indefinite part of that class.
  2. the process of obtaining such propositions.
Psychology.
  1. Also called stimulus generalization. the act or process of responding to a stimulus similar to but distinct from the conditioned stimulus.
  2. Also called response generalization. the act or process of making a different but similar response to the same stimulus.
  3. Also called mediated generalization. the act or process of responding to a stimulus not physically similar to the conditioned stimulus and not previously encountered in conditioning.
  4. the act or process of perceiving similarity or relation between different stimuli, as between words, colors, sounds, lights, concepts or feelings; the formation of a general notion.

Origin of generalization

First recorded in 1755–65; generalize + -ation

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH generalization

deduction extrapolation induction generalization hypothesis

Words nearby generalization

general-purpose, generalcy, generalissimo, generalist, generality, generalization, generalize, generalized, generalized anaphylaxis, generalized anxiety disorder, generalized coordinate

Words related to generalization

regulation, proposal, rule, logic, reasoning, sense, interpretation, premise, thinking, argument, analysis, acumen, proposition, hypothesis, rationale, inference, conjecture, ratiocination, reason, rationalization

Example sentences from the Web for generalization

British Dictionary definitions for generalization

generalization

generalisation

/ (ˌdʒɛnrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən) /

noun

a principle, theory, etc, with general application
the act or an instance of generalizing
psychol the evoking of a response learned to one stimulus by a different but similar stimulus See also conditioning
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
logic any statement ascribing a property to every member of a class (universal generalization) or to one or more members (existential generalization)

Medical definitions for generalization

generalization
[ jĕn′ər-ə-lĭ-zā′shən ]

n.

The act or an instance of generalizing.
A principle, a statement, or an idea having general application.