Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A positional discriminability model of linear-order judgments.

K J Holyoak, K K Patterson

    Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
    |December 1, 1981
    PubMed
    Summary

    This study explored how people judge the order of visual items. Findings suggest an analog positional discriminability model better explains how we perceive relative order than scanning models.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Rostrolateral prefrontal cortex involvement in relational integration during reasoning.

    NeuroImage·2001
    Same author

    The emergence of coherence over the course of decision making.

    Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2001
    Same author

    Analogical priming via semantic relations.

    Memory & cognition·2001
    Same author

    The use of diagrams in analogical problem solving.

    Memory & cognition·2001
    Same author

    The role of working memory in analogical mapping.

    Memory & cognition·2000
    Same author

    Reasoning and learning by analogy.

    The American psychologist·1997

    Area of Science:

    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Visual Perception

    Background:

    • Understanding the cognitive processes underlying the judgment of relative order is crucial for both memory and perception research.
    • Previous models have proposed scanning mechanisms to explain how individuals determine the position of items in a sequence.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the mechanisms involved in judging the relative order of stimuli in a visual array.
    • To compare the explanatory power of an analog positional discriminability model versus a serial ends-inward scanning model.

    Main Methods:

    • Three experiments were conducted using a visual array of colored lines.
    • Reaction time (RT) was measured as participants identified the leftmost or rightmost of two target lines.
    • Variations included manipulating background line similarity and using a vertical judgment task.

    Main Results:

    • Distance and semantic congruity effects were observed, alongside a bowed serial position function, similar to memorized orderings.
    • Flattening of the serial position function occurred when background lines were dissimilar.
    • Both distance effects and bowed serial position functions were present in the vertical judgment task.

    Conclusions:

    • The results support an analog positional discriminability model over a serial ends-inward scanning model for judging relative order.
    • The analog positional discriminability model is proposed as a core framework for understanding relative order and magnitude judgments in perception and memory.

    Related Experiment Videos