Abstract
A method using information measurement is developed to derive euclidean interstimulus distances from stimulus-classification behavior. The method has two new properties: (1) It generates an origin for the resulting similarity space. The origin is the point of zero information or distinctiveness. (2) It generates a measure of informativeness or distinctiveness for each stimulus, which is the vector from the origin of the space to the point representing the stimulus in the space. It also generates an information measure that is equivalent to the interstimulus distance between every pair of stimuli. In addition, a new similarity judgment instruction is used-one that also generates a measure of distinctiveness for every stimulus and a measure of dissimilarity for every stimulus pair. The information measurement method and the similarity judgment instruction were tested on large independent samples of observers with a stimulus set consisting of 10 color photos. The two methods produced highly correlated measures of stimulus distinctiveness and stimulus-pair similarity, and also produced congruent stimulus configurations in euclidean similarity space.
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The research was supported by a grant to D. C. Donderi and J. Sergent from theFonds F.C.A.C. pour l’aide et le soutien a la recherche of the Government of Quebec and a grant from Canada Manpower. The theoretical work reported here was completed while I was a visitor at the Institute for Perception Research. Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on sabbatical leave from McGill University.
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Donderi, D.C. Information measurement of distinctiveness and similarity. Perception & Psychophysics 44, 576–584 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03207491
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03207491