Hodgetts, Carl J., Hahn, Ulrike and Chater, Nick (2009) Transformation and alignment in similarity. Cognition, Vol.113 (No.1). pp. 62-79. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2009.07.010

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Abstract

This paper contrasts two structural accounts of psychological similarity: structural alignment (SA) and Representational Distortion (RD). SA proposes that similarity is determined by how readily the structures of two objects can be brought into alignment; RD measures similarity by the complexity of the transformation that “distorts” one representation into the other. We assess RD by defining a simple coding scheme of psychological transformations for the experimental materials. In two experiments, this “concrete” version of RD provides compelling fits of the data and compares favourably with SA. Finally, stepping back from particular models, we argue that perceptual theory suggests that transformations and alignment processes should generally be viewed as complementary, in contrast to the current distinction in the literature.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Behavioural Science Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Journal or Publication Title:	Cognition
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0010-0277
Official Date:	October 2009
Dates:	Date Event October 2009 Published
Volume:	Vol.113
Number:	No.1
Number of Pages:	18
Page Range:	pp. 62-79
DOI:	10.1016/j.cognition.2009.07.010
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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