polytropic

English

From polytrope, equivalent to poly- +‎ -tropic, ultimately from Ancient Greek πολύτροπος (polútropos).

Rhymes: -ɒpɪk
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polytropic (not comparable)

(physics) of any change in the thermodynamic properties of a gas in which its specific heat remains constant
(mathematics) many-valued
(psychology) Focusing one’s attention on multiple sets of things at one time.
Antonym: monotropic
- 2005 May 1, Dinah Murray, Mike Lesser, Wendy Lawson, “Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism”, in Autism‎^[1], volume 9, number 2, →DOI, page 140:
  Our hypothesis is that the difference between autistic and non-autistic is a difference in the strategies employed in the distribution of scarce attention. That is to say, it is the difference between having few interests highly aroused, the monotropic tendency, and having many interests less highly aroused, the polytropic tendency. An aroused interest is an interest charged with feeling.
- 2021 April 29, Gemma L. Williams, Tim Wharton, Caroline Jagoe, “Mutual (Mis)understanding: Reframing Autistic Pragmatic “Impairments” Using Relevance Theory”, in Frontiers in Psychology‎^[2], number 12, →DOI, page 616664:
  Where polytropic minds comfortably entertain many simultaneous interests, each moderately aroused, the monotropic mind will maintain only very few simultaneous interests, with each one highly aroused and intensely focused upon.