Abstract
Psychometric functions and the associated indices of discriminative performance (i.e., the point of subjective equality [PSE], just noticeable difference, and Weber fraction) were obtained with the method of constant stimuli usingperceptual andremembered line-length standards. Three important results were obtained. First, comparisons with a perceptual or a remembered standard were sensitive to variations of absolute stimulus differences with a common ratio; that is, Weber’s law was violated. Second, relative to discriminative performance with the longest and shortest remembered standards, comparisons involving mid-range remembered standards displayed increased variability in the PSE and inflated Weber fractions, characteristic of a reduction in thequality of the memorial representation. Finally, large and negative time-order errors (TOE) were observed for successive line judgments but not for those involving remembered standards. The implications of these findings for research concerned with the relationships between perception and memory, as well as the TOE phenomenon, are discussed.
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This research was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada to W.M.P.
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Baranski, J.V., Petrusic, W.M. The discriminability of remembered magnitudes. Memory & Cognition 20, 254–270 (1992). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199662
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199662