hidden variable
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English
[edit]Noun
[edit]hidden variable (plural hidden variables)
- (physics) Any parameter that would supplement quantum mechanics so as to make it like classical mechanics; local hidden variables have been proved to be inconsistent with quantum mechanics.
- (figurative, loosely) An implicitly assumed influence.
- 2023 May 22, Peter Gärdenfors, Marlize Lombard, “The Evolution of Human Causal Cognition”, in Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Archaeology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 277–298: ,
- We do not perceive any physical cause of another’s actions but use our understanding of their inner state as a hidden causal variable for their behaviors. This involves a detachment of perceptual similarity from causal similarities so that the mental factors of ToM form a class of hidden variables that we add to our perception to understand causal relations in a social context.