generalization Definition
- 1a broad statement or idea that applies to many things, not just specific ones
- 2the act of forming broad statements or ideas that apply to many things, not just specific ones
Using generalization: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "generalization" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The generalization that all teenagers are lazy is unfair.
Example
Making a generalization about an entire group based on a few individuals is not accurate.
Example
The generalization that all women are bad drivers is a stereotype.
Example
The generalization that all politicians are corrupt is not true.
generalization Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for generalization
- abstraction
- concept
- overgeneralization
- general concept
- general idea
Antonyms for generalization
Phrases with generalization
a fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence
Example
He made a hasty generalization when he assumed that all people from a certain country were rude.
an error that occurs when a machine learning model is trained on a limited dataset and then applied to new data that is different from the training data
Example
A generalization error can occur when a machine learning model is overfitted to the training data.
a graph that shows how the strength of a conditioned response decreases as the similarity between the conditioned stimulus and other stimuli increases
Example
A generalization gradient can be used to study how animals learn to discriminate between different stimuli.
Summary: generalization in Brief
The term 'generalization' [ˌdʒenərəlaɪˈzeɪʃən] refers to a broad statement or idea that applies to many things, not just specific ones. It can be used to describe a fallacy in reasoning or a machine learning error. Examples include 'The generalization that all teenagers are lazy is unfair.' and 'The generalization that all politicians are corrupt is not true.'