Modality may refer to:

Humanities

Modality (theology) Modality, in Protestant and Catholic Christian theology, is the structure and organization of the local or universal church. In Catholic theology, the modality is the universal Catholic church. In Protestant theology, the modality is variously ...

, the organization and structure of the church, as distinct from sodality or parachurch organizations * Modality (music), in music, the subject concerning certain diatonic scales *

Modalities (sociology) Modalities are fundamental to understanding the concept behind structuration. According to Anthony Giddens, modalities explain the properties of the structure. The structure is said to have both structural and individual qualities. Giddens refer ...

, a concept in Anthony Giddens' structuration theory * Modal logic (philosophy), a form of logic which distinguishes between (logically) "necessary truths" and "contingent truths"

Linguistics

Modality (semiotics) In semiotics, a modality is a particular way in which information is to be encoded for presentation to humans, i.e. to the type of sign and to the status of reality ascribed to or claimed by a sign, text, or genre. It is more closely associated wi ...

, the channel by which signs are transmitted (oral, gesture, written) * Modality (natural language), a system of alternative wordings in a language that construes different degrees of necessity, obligation, and probability from either a subjective or an objective perspective

Medicine

Modality (therapy) A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many differen ...

, a method of therapeutic approach *

Modality (diagnosis) Medical diagnosis (abbreviated Dx, Dx, or Ds) is the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs. It is most often referred to as a diagnosis with the medical context being implicit. The information ...

, a method of diagnosis * Modality (medical imaging), acquiring structural or functional images of the body *

Stimulus modality Stimulus modality, also called sensory modality, is one aspect of a stimulus or what is perceived after a stimulus. For example, the temperature modality is registered after heat or cold stimulate a receptor. Some sensory modalities include: ligh ...

, a type of physical phenomenon or stimulus that one can sense, such as temperature and sound * Modality Partnership, a British primary care provider

Science and technology

* Transportation modality, a mode of transport *

Modality (human–computer interaction) In the context of human–computer interaction, a modality is the classification of a single independent channel of sensory input/output between a computer and a human. A system is designated unimodal if it has only one modality implemented, and m ...

, a path of communication between the human and the computer, such as vision or touch *

Mode (user interface) In user interface design, a mode is a distinct setting within a computer program or any physical machine interface, in which the same user input will produce perceived results different from those that it would in other settings. Modal interface ...

, a distinct setting within a computer program or any physical machine interface *

, one aspect of a stimulus or what is perceived after a stimulus (e.g. light, sound, temperature, taste], pressure, or smell)

Pseudoscience

* Modality (astrology)

Other uses

Multimedia learning E-learning theory describes the cognitive science principles of effective multimedia learning using electronic educational technology. Multimedia instructional design principles Beginning with cognitive load theory as their motivating scientifi ...

* In

advance fee fraud An advance-fee scam is a form of fraud and is one of the most common types of confidence tricks. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the frauds ...

(Nigerian 419 scams), the method of funds transfers; often used as a key-word in scam baiting *

Modal realism Modal realism is the view propounded by philosopher David Lewis that all possible worlds are real in the same way as is the actual world: they are "of a kind with this world of ours." It is based on the following tenets: possible worlds exist; ...

, the view that all possible worlds are as real as the actual world *

Extended modal realism Extended modal realism is a metaphysical theory developed by Takashi Yagisawa. It concerns the question of what it means that something is possible or necessary. Modal realism is the view that besides the actual world, there are many possible worl ...

, the view that all worlds, possible as well as impossible, are as real as the actual world *

Modalities (trade negotiations) Modalities are the formulas, targets, or specific measures used to accomplish objectives in trade negotiations. An example of modalities in the current World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organ ...