Classification and Similarity of Multidimensional Stimuli

Abstract

Classification and similarity judgments for a set of multidimensional stimuli were compared for different types of stimulus dimensions. The results show that these judgments are in general related to each other but are not always related in a simple fashion to the discriminability of the stimulus dimension. Moreover, S did not always use the dimension he judged most dissimilar for classification, although he judged the dimension he used for classification as having more dissimilar magnitudes than did Ss who classified by a different dimension. The results suggest that Ss use different methods for perceptually organizing different stimulus sets.