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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
08:12
A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
Published on: March 1, 2022
Similarity and attraction effects in episodic memory judgments.
Elizabeth A Maylor1, Matthew A J Roberts
1Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. e.a.maylor@warwick.ac.uk
Cognition
|January 16, 2007
Summary
Decision-making principles influence episodic memory judgments. Introducing a similar, competitive memory decreased preference for option A, while an inferior option increased preference for A.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision-Making Science
- Memory Studies
Background:
- Decision-making research shows third options alter preferences.
- Episodic memory involves qualitative judgments, such as vividness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if decision-making effects influence judgments of episodic memory vividness.
- To determine if adding a third memory option alters preferences between two dissimilar memories.
Main Methods:
- Participants compared vividness of two dissimilar episodic memories (Olympic victory vs. public figure death).
- A third, similar Olympic victory (competitive or inferior) was introduced in subsequent conditions.
- Preference shifts were analyzed based on the type of third option presented.
Main Results:
- Introducing a similar, competitive memory (C) led to a decrease in choosing the first Olympic memory (A) over the public figure death (B) – a similarity effect.
- Introducing a similar, inferior memory (D) increased the likelihood of choosing the first Olympic memory (A) over the public figure death (B) – an attraction effect.
Conclusions:
- Decision-making phenomena, like similarity and attraction effects, extend to relative judgments of episodic memory vividness.
- The way a third memory option is presented significantly impacts preferences between existing memories.
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