Continuation

From WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Continuation is a term used in various fields, including mathematics, computer science, and psychology. In the context of psychology, continuation refers to the cognitive bias that results in people remembering incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. This is also known as the Zeigarnik effect.

Overview[edit | edit source]

The term "continuation" is derived from the Latin word 'continuatio', which means 'a series or sequence'. In the field of mathematics, continuation is a method used to extend the domain of definition of a given function. In computer science, continuation is a representation of the control state of a computer program at a certain point in time.

In psychology, the concept of continuation is closely related to the Zeigarnik effect, named after the Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik. According to this effect, people tend to remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. This is believed to be due to the tension that arises from unfinished tasks, which keeps them at the forefront of our memory.

In Mathematics[edit | edit source]

In mathematics, continuation is a method used to extend the domain of definition of a given function. This is often done by using a power series or a similar tool. The concept of continuation is particularly important in the field of complex analysis, where it is used to extend the domain of holomorphic functions.

In Computer Science[edit | edit source]

In computer science, a continuation is a representation of the control state of a computer program at a certain point in time. This can be used to implement certain features in programming languages, such as exception handling and coroutines. The concept of continuation is closely related to the idea of control flow, which describes the order in which the individual statements, instructions, or function calls of an imperative or a declarative program are executed or evaluated.

In Psychology[edit | edit source]

In psychology, the concept of continuation is closely related to the Zeigarnik effect. This effect, named after the Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, states that people tend to remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. This is believed to be due to the tension that arises from unfinished tasks, which keeps them at the forefront of our memory.

See Also[edit | edit source]

Continuation Resources

Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD