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The effect of interstimulus interval on sequential effects in absolute identification

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Matthews, William J. and Stewart, Neil, 1974-. (2009) The effect of interstimulus interval on sequential effects in absolute identification. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Vol.62 (No.10). pp. 2014-2029. ISSN 1747-0218

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17470210802649285

Abstract

In absolute identification experiments, the participant is asked to identify stimuli drawn from a small set of items which differ on a single physical dimension (e.g., 10 tones which vary in frequency). Responses in these tasks show a striking pattern of sequential dependencies: The current response assimilates towards the immediately preceding stimulus but contrasts with the stimuli further back in the sequence. This pattern has been variously interpreted as resulting from confusion of items in memory, shifts in response criteria, or the action of selective attention, and these interpretations have been incorporated into competing formal models of absolute identification performance. In two experiments, we demonstrate that lengthening the time between trials increases contrast to both the previous stimulus and the stimulus two trials back. This surprising pattern of results is difficult to reconcile with the idea that sequential dependencies result from memory confusion or from criterion shifts, but is consistent with an account that emphasizes selective attention.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Identification (Psychology) -- Research, Neural stimulation, Contrast (Philosophy), Memory -- Testing
Journal or Publication Title:	Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
Publisher:	Psychology Press
ISSN:	1747-0218
Date:	October 2009
Volume:	Vol.62
Number:	No.10
Number of Pages:	16
Page Range:	pp. 2014-2029
Identification Number:	10.1080/17470210802649285
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder:	Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) (ESRC)
Grant number:	RES-000-23-1372 (ESRC)
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/2211