Abstract
A theory of diversity in speeded cognition, the difference engine, is proposed, in which information processing is represented as a series of generic computational steps. Some individuals tend to perform all of these computations relatively quickly and other individuals tend to perform them all relatively slowly, reflecting the existence of a general cognitive speed factor, but the time required for response selection and execution is assumed to be independent of cognitive speed. The difference engine correctly predicts the positively accelerated form of the relation between diversity of performance, as measured by the standard deviation for the group, and task difficulty, as indexed by the mean response time (RT) for the group. In addition, the difference engine correctly predicts approximately linear relations between the RTs of any individual and average performance for the group, with the regression lines for fast individuals having slopes less than 1.0 (and positive intercepts) and the regression lines for slow individuals having slopes greater than 1.0 (and negative intercepts). Similar predictions are made for comparisons of slow, average, and fast subgroups, regardless of whether those subgroups are formed on the basis of differences in ability, age, or health status. These predictions are consistent with evidence from studies of healthy young and older adults as well as from studies of depressed and age-matched control groups.
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J.M. and S.H. were partially supported by Grants AG10197 and AG12996 to S.H. from the National Institute on Aging. L.J. was supported by National Institute on Aging training grant AG00030 to Martha Storandt. We thank David Adams, Lisa Emery, and Shannon Robertson for helpful comments on an earlier version. For inspiration, J.M. would like to acknowledge Charles Babbage, John Crowley, William Gibson, and Bruce Sterling.
An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03194104.
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Myerson, J., Hale, S., Zheng, Y. et al. The difference engine: A model of diversity in speeded cognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 10, 262–288 (2003). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196491
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196491