Sensitivity
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Definition
- 1803 W. TAYLOR in Ann. Rev. I. 401 An eloquent exuberance characterizes the style of our author, and a sensitivity of imagination which makes even the minutest phænomenon appear important to his attention.
- 1856 DOVE Logic Chr. Faith IV. ii. §5. 221 In the Vegetable World we behold the..germ of individual Sensitivity.
- 1880 BASTIAN Brain 57 Its sensitivity to such stimuli is..closely akin to the general organic irritability of protoplasm. ::1882 Athenæum 25 Nov. 703/1 The number of grades between the weights that any person can distinguish has to be found by trial, and that number becomes the measure of the coarseness of his sensitivity.
- 1904 TITCHENER tr. Wundt's Physiol. Psychol. I. 265 We find..symptoms of abrogation or diminution of cutaneous sensitivity upon the uninjured side of the body.
- 2. The activity and experience of the senses.
- 3. a. The degree to which a device, test, or procedure responds to small amounts of or slight changes in that to which it is designed to respond; the ratio of the response of a device to the stimulus causing it; = SENSITIVENESS 3.
- b. spec. in Radio, (a measure of) the ability of a receiver or other part of a radio system to pick up or respond to weak radio signals.
- 4. Psychol. Used attrib., esp. in sensitivity group, training, to denote training in small groups aimed at increasing a person's awareness of the behaviour, feelings, and motives of others and of himself. Cf. T-group s.v. T 7.
- 1954 Personnel XXX. 256/1 The suggested approach to leadership training combines these two features in order to focus sensitivity training on those interpersonal problems which intimately involve the members of the training group. ::1964 M. ARGYLE Psychol. & Social Probl. x. 133 Many students could..benefit from sensitivity training, aimed at increasing the accuracy of perception of social situations.
- 1969 Listener 26 June 881/1 A sensitivity group of persons gets together in order to cultivate a heightened awareness of themselves and each other, in a sort of group therapy. 1971 Harvest Years Mar. 8/2 (caption) A few scenes from a sensitivity session.
- 1977 E. G. & N. C. BORMANN Speech Communication (ed. 2) i. 12 Sensitivity groups have been used to train management personnel..and to institute individual and organizational change.