Abstract
A development of Watson and Pelli’s QUEST procedure is described and illustrated with some recent measurements of vibrotactile thresholds. This enhanced QUEST procedure terminates as soon as some prescribed precision is attained in the threshold estimate and offers a choice of three models of the psychometric function to accommodate different stimulus configurations. It is validated here by (1) comparing the model of the psychometric function on which the calculations are based with the frequencies of detecting each of a well-chosen set of stimuli; and (2) comparing the variability of terminal estimates from QUEST runs started at different stimulus values with the intended precision. When detecting a vibration of 25 Hz, with the contactor set within a rigid surround, this new version of QUEST performs exactly as statistical theory says it should; but at 250 Hz and at 25 Hz without a surround, there are instrumentation problems connected with the coupling between contactor and finger.
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Laming, D., Marsh, D. Some performance tests of QUEST on measurements of vibrotactile thresholds. Perception & Psychophysics 44, 99–107 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208701
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208701