ceiling effect
The "ceiling effect" is a phenomenon where an increase in a variable no longer results in additional benefits or improvements, common in fields like statistics, pharmacology, and psychometrics.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
C1statistics
(technical, academic)A situation where a measurement tool cannot distinguish values above a certain level, causing many scores to cluster at the maximum possible value.
Example
- The survey showed a ceiling effect, with most respondents scoring at the highest level.
C1pharmacology
(technical, medical)A condition where increasing the dose of a drug does not enhance its therapeutic effect and may cause adverse effects.
Example
- The medication demonstrated a ceiling effect, as higher doses did not improve patient outcomes.
C1psychometrics
(technical, academic)A limitation of a test where it cannot measure higher abilities because it lacks sufficiently challenging items.
Example
- The intelligence test exhibited a ceiling effect, failing to differentiate among the highest scorers.