Journal of Experimental Psychology 102 (2), pp. 353-376.
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1015 DOI: 10.1037/h0035850
Abstract: A technique for generating a ratio scale for any psychophysical continuum by having 5s generate subjectively random productions on that continuum is described and used to scale numerical magnitude, duration, and line length. The perceived magnitude of numbers grows as an increasingly decelerated function of their absolute magnitude, but it is approximately logarithmic from 10 to 1,000. The range of 1-500 is fitted well with a power - function with an exponent of about f. Several experiments defend the position that the psychological scale of number is compressive and explore a number of possible artifacts in the random-production technique. Crossmodality matches between numbers, line lengths, and durations are predicted from the random-production scales derived for each of these dimensions. The predictions give power functions whose exponents are in some agreement with previous experimental estimates. Random-production scales for handgrip force, intensity of electric shocks, and subjective area are consistent with their magnitude-estimation scales, given that number has an exponent of 2/3.
Bibtex:
@article {,
AUTHOR = {William P. Banks and David K. Hill},
TITLE = {The Apparent Magnitude of Number Scaled by Random Production},
JOURNAL = {Journal of Experimental Psychology},
YEAR = {1974},
VOLUME = {102},
NUMBER = {2},
PAGES = {353--376},
DOI = {10.1037/h0035850},
URL = {http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-24305-001},
}
Reference Type: Journal Article
Subject Area(s): Psychology