Effect of irrelevant surrounding material on speed of same-different judgment of two adjacent letters.

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Abstract
Conducted 3 experiments with 10 undergraduates each to test whether same-different judgments depend on a fast global comparison process for same decisions and serial analytic process for different decision. 2 letters presented simultaneously for comparison were bracketed with irrelevant material in a symmetrical or asymmetrical fashion (i.e., different material was placed next to each letter). The symmetrical material affected same and different response times (RT) equally, whereas the asymmetrical material, which was intended to give each letter a different framework and thus prevent global comparison, increased RT more for same than for different judgments. More false different than false same responses were made, especially when an asymmetrical surround was included, which suggests an explanation of the typically longer latencies for different than for same responses: Imperfectly encoded noisy features produce spurious mismatches, so S must double check and verify all but the largest perceived differences before responding different. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

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