Abstract
“Response conditional” confidence rating accuracy (Type II d’) was examined as 19 subjects listened to a list of monosyllable and trisyllable words masked by white noise. Word length added significantly to d’(p<.001) and also improved probability correct (p<.001). The interpretation that the two dependent variables (d’ and probability correct) reflect independent psychological processes was supported by Experiment II (n = 20), which substituted visual for auditory presentation but maintained the confidence rating procedure. In the case of visual presentation, long words showed a strong d’ advantage over short words (p<.001), but only a mild advantage over short words in terms of probability correct (p >.05). Overall, the effect of word length on “knowing that you know” (d’) appears to operate through the mechanism of selection constraints placed on the number of perceptual alternatives.
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This research was supported in part by a grant from the State of Oklahoma to Larry Hochhaus.
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Hochhaus, L., Bowen, P. Word length and “knowing that you know” in perceptual recognition. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 9, 8–10 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336912
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336912