HUMAN PERFORMANCE IN CONTINGENT INFORMATION PROCESSING TASKS.
Abstract
Theoretical accounts of complex human information processing behavior have emphasized the utilization of contingencies whereby the processing of some information directs the processing requirements of the remaining sources of uncertainty. The manner in which such contingencies are processed, however, has received little empirical study. The present investigation examined the effects of discriminability and S-R compatibility on the speed and accuracy of response in tasks in which the relevancy of a given stimulus dimension was contingent upon the value of the stimulus on some other dimension. It was concluded that contingencies are utilized by the subject to select dimensions to process. Further, these contingencies are utilized at some stage prior to that involved in the selection of responses. RTs to a repeated stimulus were faster than RTs to a different stimulus. The magnitude of these repetition effects varied as a function of the discriminability of the dimension that changed value, its relevancy , and its structural status. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0656712
Entities
People
- Irving Biederman
Organizations
- University of Michigan