Abstract
Speeded classification was studied with three tasks varying in the way in which extra stimuli are provided for a single class:grouping, with additional levels on a single relevant dimension;filtering, with additional levels on an irrelevant dimension; andcondensation, with additional levels on a second relevant dimension. (Both relevant dimensions must be processed for correct classification.) For the dimensions used (color and form), filtering was easiest, followed by grouping and condensation. In the latter two cases, asymmetric classifications, in which one class had a single member, eliminated the difficulty of classification. The presumed mechanism is focusing, in which the single stimulus is seen as a positive set and all other stimuli as negative.
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This research was supported by Grant MH 14229 from the National Institute of Mental Health to Yale University. The authors wish to thank Elinor Garner for her help in data collection and tabulation in Experiment 2.
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Gottwald, R.L., Garner, W.R. Effects of focusing strategy on speeded classification with grouping, filtering, and condensation tasks. Perception & Psychophysics 11, 179–182 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210371
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210371