The effect of stimulus complexity on discrimination responses.

Gregg, Lee W.

doi:10.1037/h0063617

Cited by 36 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…That is to say, Hick (1952) has pointed out that the rate of gain of information in choice reactions is a constant, and several other researchers have verified that disjunctive RT is indeed an increasing linear function of the amount of information transmitted in choice reactions (Crossman, 1953;Gregg, 1954). It is true that other researchers have found conditions under which RT has failed to increase with either uncertainty or the amount of information transmitted (Leonard, 1959;Mowbray & Rhoades, 1959;Mowbray, 1960), or under which various factors apparently influence the degree of increase (Brainard et al , 1962;Fitts & Switzer, 1962), but these negative cases appear to have been explained as stimulus-response compatibility effects (Alluisi et at;Alluisi, 1965).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of temporal uncertainty on watchkeeping performance

Smith¹,

Warm²,

Alluisi³

1966

Perception & Psychophysics

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Two experiments were conducted to assess the relative effects of signal density and regularity on watchkeeping performance. In Experiment I, three levels of density (6,24, and 91i signals/hr.) were combined factorially with three levels of variability (coefficients of variation of 0.01, 0.10, and 1.00), and 10 Ss were assigned at random to each of the nine conditions. In Experiment II, five leveIs of density (6, 12, 24, 48, and 96 signals/hr.) The uncertainty of the critical signal in a watchkeeping task can be expected to affect performance (cr., Alluisi, 1966, pp. 206-208). Indeed, the kind and degree of uncertainty define, at least in part, the difficulty of the watchkeeping task.In one of the earliest of watchkeeping studies, Mackworth (1950, pp. 53-63) reported that the deterioration in correct signal detections which typically occurred in his synthetic radar task could be delayed by increasing the brightness of the critical signals. This suggests that watchkeeping performance is a decreasing function of stimulus uncertainty (uncertainty concerning the nature of the critical signal). That is to say. as the signal-tonoise ratio of the critical signal is increased, performance efficiency also can be expected to increase. Although there have been few, if any, functional studies of stimulus uncertainty, it has been well established that this kind of uncertainty is likely to have some effect on watchkeeping performance (e.g., Adams, 1956;Bartlett et al , 1955;Jenkins, 1953Jenkins, , 1958.Spatial uncertainty(uncertainty concerning where the signal will appear) has been found to affect performance in visual watchkeeping tasks. Mackworth (1950, pp, 58-59), again using his synthetic radar task, found a progressive decline in the incidence of missed signals with rising spatial expectancy, or decreasing spatial uncertainty, and essentially similar results have been reported by other investigators (Deese & Ormond. 1953;Bartlett et al, 1955; Nicely & Miller,1957; Adams & Boulter, 1964).The third major source of uncertainty has also been studied; this is temporal uncertainty, or uncertainty concerning when a critical signal will occur. Both Ditchburn (1943) and Mackworth (1950) report that changes in the temporal intervals between signals produced associated changes in the proportions of signals missed. It appears from the results of later studies that changes either in signal frequency or in signal regularity may affect performance efficiency in watchkeeping tasks (e.g., Baker, 1959a, b;Bartlett et al , 1955;Broadbent, 1958;Deese, 1955;Deese & Ormond, 1953;Jenkins, 1958;Smith, 1961). These findings suggest that a psychophysical approach could be taken in studying watchkeeping performance, provided, of course, that the physical aspects of the uncertainty of the critical signal can be quantified and controlled. Such an approach has been taken in the present study in an attempt to determine the psychophysical relations between watchkeeping performance on the one hand, and the temporal uncertainty of the critical signa...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of temporal uncertainty on watchkeeping performance

Smith¹,

Warm²,

Alluisi³

1966

Perception & Psychophysics

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“…Furthermore, since Archer's (1954) task was easier than Gregg's (1954), there is a suggestion that the difficulty of the discrimination may also interact with the always-irrelevant type of irrelevant information.…”

Section: Analyses Of Errors Reaction Times and Rates Of Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The time required both for solving a conceptidentification problem (Archer et al , 1954) and for making visual (Gregg, 1954) and auditory (Montague, 1965) discriminations has been found to increase with increases in the amount of irrelevant information presented with the stimuli. On the other hand, the time required for making simple visual pattern discriminations has been found to be independent of the amount of irrelevant information presented (Archer, 1954).…”

Section: Analyses Of Errors Reaction Times and Rates Of Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, it appears that information which is always irrelevant may (Gregg, 1954) or may not (Archer,1954) affect both the amount of information transmitted in absolute judgments and the speed with which these judgments are made, On the other hand, information that is sometimes relevant can be expected to affect performance adversely on those occasions when it is irrelevant, and increases in the difficulty of the discriminations have been found to increase the adverse effects of the latter type of irrelevancy (Hodge, 1959). Furthermore, since Archer's (1954) task was easier than Gregg's (1954), there is a suggestion that the difficulty of the discrimination may also interact with the always-irrelevant type of irrelevant information.…”

Section: Analyses Of Errors Reaction Times and Rates Of Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of discriminability and irrelevant information on absolute judgments’

Morgan¹,

Alluisi²

1967

Perception & Psychophysics

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“…Since Hick (1952) initially pointed out that the rate of gain of information is a constant, several researchers have found that disjunctive reaction time (RT) is an increasing linear function of the amount of information transmitted (Ht) per S-R event (e. g., Crossman, 1953;Gregg, 1954). Others, however, have found conditipns under which RT has failed to increase with either Ht or stimulus uncertainty (Leonard, 1959;Mowbray & Rhoades, 1959;Mowbray, 1960), or under which various factors apparently influence the degree of increase (Brainard et aI., 1962;Fitts & Switzer, 1962).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stimulus- response compatibility and the rate of gain of information

1964

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Fifty-four Ss responded vocally at three levels of stimulus uncertainty to visually presented Arabic numerals. Responses were paired with stimuli in three ways to create ensembles that demonstrated high, intermediate, and low S-R compatibility effects. RT was found to be an increasing linear function of the amount of information transmitted (Ht); the degree to which RT is influenced by Ht was found to be an inverse function of the degree of S-R compatibility. IntroductionSince Hick (1952) initially pointed out that the rate of gain of information is a constant, several researchers have found that disjunctive reaction time (RT) is an increasing linear function of the amount of information transmitted (Ht) per S-R event (e. g., Crossman, 1953;Gregg, 1954). Others, however, have found conditipns under which RT has failed to increase with either Ht or stimulus uncertainty (Leonard, 1959; Mowbray & Rhoades, 1959; Mowbray, 1960), or under which various factors apparently influence the degree of increase (Brainard et aI., 1962;Fitts & Switzer, 1962). The present experiment was intended as a general test of the notion that the rate of gain of information varies as a function of S-R compatibility.~Icthod Fifty-four undergraduates at Emory University served as volunteer Ss. Each S responded vocally at one of three levels of stimulus uncertainty (Hs) to visually presented Arabic numerals with one ofthree S-R ensembles (representing high, intermediate, and low degrees of S-R compatibility). The three levels of Hs were combined factorially with the three degrees of S-R compatibility, and six Ss were assigned at random to each of the nine conditions with the sole restriction that the male-tofemale ratio in each group was 4/2.The stimuli for the Hs levels ofl, 2, and 3 bits/ stimulus were the Arabic numerals 1 and 2, 1 through 4, and 1 through 8, respectively. The numerals were projections of photographic reproductions of the AND-10400 numerals. They appeared as dark figures on an illuminated field at the center of a 3-in diameter circular display area about 28 in from S. As projected, each stimulus figure was 1.5 in high; brightness contrast was high and the figures were quite legible.The display screen was mounted near the center of a display surface (about 1 yd sq), and both were tilted 30 deg from vertical so that S's line of sight was normal to the screen. A green warning light, 3.5 in below the center of the screen, was lit during the 2-sec. period Poyclwn. Sci., 1964, Vol. 1.immediately preceeding the onset of any stimulus. The display board and the interior of the 5 x 7-ft experimental booth were painted a flat gun-metal gray.In the high-compatibility condition, S responded with typical number-naming: "one" to the numeral 1, "two" to the numeral 2, etc. Essentially the same number names were used in the low-compatibility condition ("nine" and "ten" were also used), but the names were paired with the Arabic numerals at random and differently for each S. In one case, for example, S was instructed to respond to t...

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The effect of stimulus complexity on discrimination responses.

Cited by 36 publications

References 7 publications

Effects of temporal uncertainty on watchkeeping performance

Effects of temporal uncertainty on watchkeeping performance

Effects of discriminability and irrelevant information on absolute judgments’

Stimulus- response compatibility and the rate of gain of information

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