GlossaryGuide

Etym. psychology (n.) 1650s, “study of the soul,” from Modern Latin psychologia, probably coined mid-16c. in Germany by Melanchthon from Latinized form of Greek psykhe- “breath, spirit, soul” + logia “study of.” Meaning “study of the mind” first recorded 1748, from Christian Wolff’s “Psychologia empirica” (1732); main modern behavioral sense is from early 1890s.

Etym. fidelity (n.) early 15c., “faithfulness, devotion,” from Middle French fidélité (15c.), from Latin fidelitatem (nominative fidelitas) “faithfulness, adherence, trustiness,” from fidelis “faithful, true, trusty, sincere,” from fides “faith.” From 1530s as “faithful adherence to truth or reality;” specifically of sound reproduction from 1878.

Definition

• A level of realism associated with a particular simulation activity.

• The extent to which the simulated environment evokes the underlying psychological processes necessary in the real-world setting (Dieckmann et al., 2008).

• The degree of perceived realism, including psychological factors such as emotions, beliefs, and self-awareness of participants in simulation scenarios (Dieckmann et al., 2008).

See also: FIDELITY, REALISM