Abstract
Further tests were provided of an exemplar-similarity model for relating the identification and categorization of separable-dimension stimuli (Nosofsky, 1986). On the basis of confusion errors in an identification paradigm, a multidimensional scaling (MDS) solution was derived for a set of 16 separable-dimension stimuli. This MDS solution was then used in conjunction with the exemplar-similarity model to accurately predict performance in four separate categorization paradigms with the same stimuli. A key to achieving the accurate quantitative fits was the assumption that a selective attention process systematically modifies similarities among exemplars across different category structures. The tests reported go well beyond earlier ones (Nosofsky, 1986) in demonstrating the generalizability and utility of the theoretical approach. Implications of the results for alternative quantitative models of classification performance, including Ashby and Perrin’s (1988) general recognition theory, were also considered.
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This work was supported by Grant BNS 87-19938 from the National Science Foundation to Indiana University. Steven E. Clark provided valuable programming assistance.
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Nosofsky, R.M. Further tests of an exemplar-similarity approach to relating identification and categorization. Perception & Psychophysics 45, 279–290 (1989). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204942
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204942