Mental size scaling examined

Abstract

Human observers made same-different shape judgments of stimuli that were identical in shape and size, different in shape but not in size, or differed in relative size along a number of steps for both same- and different- shaped forms. "Same" judgment RTs [reaction time] increased monotonically with increases in the magnitude of the relative size difference. In contrast, "different" judgment reaction times were unaffected by changes in relative size. A 2nd experiment in which stimulus presentation was successive rather than simultaneous yielded essentially the same results. Consideration was given to a dual-process model in which a time-consuming analog process normalizes stimuli that are size discrepant prior to a comparison stage that is operative for those structures responsible for "same" decisions but not for "different" judgments. Some evidence that seems inconsistent with a normalization process which operates prior to contact with memory was discussed, and an alternative explanation in which the early detection of a size difference causes changes in decision criteria was suggested.