Encoding and Processing of Symbolic Information in Comparative Judgments

The model presented in the chapter is designed to account for the experimental results pertaining to processing of attributes in comparative judgment tasks, and uses hypothetical processes of code manipulation to make the necessary predictions.

Abstract

This chapter presents a particular theoretical interpretation of the relationship for one area of experience. The area of experience is elicited by what are usually considered continuous attributes, such as brightness, size, and the theoretical approach that assumes process attributes in terms of discrete semantic codes. The chapter describes the comparative judgment paradigm and the most important effects obtained with it. It also describes and critically reviews the previous models of these results. The semantic coding approach and its application to data from comparative judgment experiments are also discussed. The chapter discusses the relationship between direct experience and the memory of it. The model presented in the chapter is designed to account for the experimental results pertaining to processing of attributes in comparative judgment tasks. It uses hypothetical processes of code manipulation to make the necessary predictions. The codes are called "semantic" because they are assumed to carry information in the same way as do other natural language codes, and they are considered to be discrete.