ERIC Number: EJ1110338
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0278-7393
EISSN: N/A
Similar Task Features Shape Judgment and Categorization Processes
Hoffmann, Janina A.; von Helversen, Bettina; Rieskamp, Jörg
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, v42 n8 p1193-1217 Aug 2016
The distinction between similarity-based and rule-based strategies has instigated a large body of research in categorization and judgment. Within both domains, the task characteristics guiding strategy shifts are increasingly well documented. Across domains, past research has observed shifts from rule-based strategies in judgment to similarity-based strategies in categorization, but limited these comparisons to 1 prototypical environment, a linear task structure, and a restricted set of strategies. To systematically compare the 2 domains, we considered several instantiations of rule-based and similarity-based strategies and examined strategy choice across different types of judgment and categorization tasks. Between participants, we varied task characteristics from a 1-dimensional linear to a multidimensional linear and to 2 multidimensional nonlinear tasks. Irrespective of domain, strategies considered, or model comparison technique used, we find that more participants relied on similarity-based strategies when the functional relationship between the cues and the criterion was nonlinear. Shifts from rule-based strategies in judgment to similarity-based strategies in categorization, however, were rare and most pronounced in 1-dimensional environments. These results support the hypothesis that the cognitive strategies people select to solve a judgment or categorization task depend less on the domain but more on the complexity of the task.
Descriptors: Classification, Evaluative Thinking, Cognitive Processes, Comparative Analysis, Selection, Difficulty Level, Foreign Countries, College Students, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A