PSYCHOPHYSICAL METHODOLOGY III. DEDUCTIONS FROM THE ASSUMPTION THAT A CUMULATIVE SYMMETRICAL DISTRIBUTION UNDERLIES THRESHOLD PHENOMENA

• Main Author: Herrick,Robert M.
• Other Authors: NAVAL AIR DEVELOPMENT CENTER JOHNSVILLE PA AEROSPACE MEDICAL RESEARCH DEPT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1965
• Subjects: Psychology; Statistics and Probability; (*PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY; *DISTRIBUTION); STATISTICAL ANALYSIS; NUMERICAL ANALYSIS; THRESHOLDS(PHYSIOLOGY); PROBABILITY; MEASURE THEORY; PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS; DML
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0630391; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0630391

The phi-gamma and quantal hypotheses are special cases of the hypothesis of a cumulative symmetrical distribution. Assuming any cumulative symmetrical distribution it follows that: (a) a descending method of limits (DML) threshold distribution is a mirror image of an ascending method of limits (AML) threshold distribution; (b) the DML mean threshold, M sub D, is higher than the AML mean threshold, M sub A; (c) M sub A + M sub D = S sub O + S sub n, where S sub O and S sub n are the stimuli associated with p values (probability of a 'Yes' response) of .00 and 1.00, respectively; (d) the median threshold of the method of constant stimuli is (S sub O + S sub n)/2, as is the mean threshold of the pooled AML and DML distributions. (Author)