RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ASSUMPTIONS OF THE METHOD OF LIMITS AND THE METHOD OF CONSTANT STIMULI

• Main Author: Herrick,Robert M.
• Other Authors: NAVAL AIR DEVELOPMENT CENTER JOHNSVILLE PA AEROSPACE MEDICAL RESEARCH DEPT
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1968
• Subjects: Psychology; (*PSYCHOPHYSICS; STATISTICAL ANALYSIS); BEHAVIOR; STATISTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS; PROBABILITY; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; CURVE FITTING; SIMULATION; RESPONSE; DML
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0671810; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0671810

The phi-gamma hypothesis is a special case of the general hypothesis of a cumulative symmetrical distribution. Assuming any cumulative symmetrical distribution (a) the descending method of limits (DML) threshold distribution is asymmetrical and is a mirror image of the ascending method of limits (AML) distribution; (b) the combined method of limits (CML) distributions is symmetrical; (c) with the subscripts A, D, and C referring to AML, DML, and CML distributions: M sub A < M sub C < M sub D; sigma sub A = sigma sub D; sigma sub C > sigma sub A; (d) as step size increases: M sub A increases, M sub D decreases, M sub C remains constant, sigma sub A and sigma sub D increase, sigma sub C first decreases and then increases; (e) the mean threshold of the method of constant stimuli equals M sub C. These and other predictions are supported experimentally. (Author)