Discovering functionally independent mental processes: The principle of reversed association.

Abstract

A joint aim of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology has been the decomposition of mental function-the isolation and characterization of basic processes underlying behavior. By convention, the principal techniques used to identify such processes are based on functional dissociation-the observation of selective effects of variables on tasks. Yet, despite their widespread use, the inferential logic associated with these techniques is flawed in two ways. First, it is possible to posit single processes that mimic both single and double dissociation; and second, observation and interpretation of both kinds of dissociation are limited by an assumption of selective influence that most, if not all, psychologists would now reject as false. The aims of this article are twofold: (a) to review and make explicit the inferential limits of single and double dissociation; and (b) to introduce a new technique that overcomes these limits. Called reversed association, this new technique is denned as any nonmonotonic relation between two tasks of interest. We argue that reversed association, in place of functional dissociation, offers a sounder basis for inferring the number of functionally independent processes underlying performance and, having fewer assumptions, offers researchers greater scope for discovering such processes and determining their nature and effects. This research was funded by a grant from the Australian Research Grants Scheme.We wish to thank Max Coltheart and Alistair Mees for their helpful comments on an early draft of this article.

Transient and enduring spatial representations under disorientation and self-rotation.

“…This double dissociation, in conjunction with the positive association between tasks that was demonstrated across subjects (and genders), constitutes a reversed association (Dunn and Kirsner, 1988), and is highly consistent with the hypothesis that pointing behavior in this experiment was based both on a transient online representation and on an enduring memory representation. This explanation fits well with contemporary theories of spatial cognition that posit the existence of two representational systems, and provides a basis of support for our interpretation of the disorientation effect as a switch between two types of representation.…”

“…These opposing effects of disorientation would then constitute a double dissociation, providing evidence for two systems of spatial representation. Dunn and Kirsner (1988) noted that such a double dissociation can provide particularly compelling evidence for two mental systems when it can additionally be shown that the two tasks (e.g., egocentric pointing and JRDs) can be positively associated with each other. We examined a likely positive association between tasks by correlating each participants' performance on egocentric pointing with their performance on JRDs, anticipating a positive relationship.…”

“…We examined a likely positive association between tasks by correlating each participants' performance on egocentric pointing with their performance on JRDs, anticipating a positive relationship. The resultant combination of a double dissociation and a positive association between tasks would constitute Dunn and Kirsner's (1988) "reversed association," and would thus provide compelling evidence for two systems of spatial representation that underlie performance in this paradigm.…”

Linear theory, dimensional theory, and the face-inversion effect.

“…The incarnation of it with which we are concerned here was independently described by Bamber (1979) and Dunn and Kirsner (1988), although it was not called "dimensional theory" in either article. Dimensional theory has proven useful in illuminating various psychological phenomena, including visual displacement dis-crimination (Palmer, 1986a(Palmer, , 1986b; the relation between iconic memory and visible persistence (Loftus & Irwin, 1998); the relation between confidence and accuracy in face recognition (Busey, Tunnicliff, Loftus, & Loftus, 2000); the relation between degree of original learning and forgetting rate (Loftus, 1985;Loftus & Bamber, 1990); the relations among stimulus duration, stimulus contrast, confidence, and accuracy in visual recognition (Harley, Dillon, & Loftus, 2004); and the logical, theoretical, and empirical underpinnings of the dissociation technique (Dunn & Kirsner, 1988). Dunn and James (2003) have recently offered a technique founded on dimensional theory called signed difference analysis and have illustrated its use in addressing three problems within cognition: First, does the "remember-know" distinction in recognition memory reflect qualitatively different cognitive states or different regions on some unidimensional scale?…”

Are perceptual and motor inhibition processes really dissociated? A comment on Nassauer and Halperin (2003)

“…One is reminded of the valuable attempt made by Dunn and Kirsner (1988) who pointed to some weakness of the double dissociation method (see Shallice, 1988), and suggested consideration of the reversed association procedure. Several interesting empirical studies have resulted.…”