Normalization of irrelevant dimensions in stimulus comparisons

Abstract

When subjects compared two multidimensional stimuli with respect to a single (relevant) dimension in a same-different task, variation in the irrelevant dimension systematically affected reaction times. For same trials, reaction times increased monotonically with the amount of disparity between the stimuli on the irrelevant dimension. The dimensions were heights and widths of ellipses or hues and tints of color patches. The results were interpreted in terms of a normalization process that internally transforms the irrelevant dimensions of the two stimuli until they are equal. The amount of normalization, and hence same reaction time, increased with increasing disparity on the irrelevant dimension. These results suggest that in order to decide that two objects are equivalent in some criterial respect, it is often necessary to normalize irrelevant disparities.