Thurstonian models and variance I: Experimental confirmation of cognitive strategies for difference tests and effects of perceptual variance

Abstract

For the triangle, duo-trio, same-different and 2-AFC methods, using a model system, mean d' values for the same subjects, discriminating between the same taste stimuli, were not significantly different. This confirmed the postulated cognitive strategies used for these methods in their respective Thurstonian/signal detection models. Introduction of perceptual variance as a result of the effects of sequences of tasting within a test, forgetting stimulus perceptions and τ-criterion variation resulted in the 2-AFC eliciting a significantly higher d' than the other three methods. Yet, after a warm-up procedure, which not only significantly increased values of d' for all methods but also aligned subjects' τ-criteria, the same-different test had a d' comparable to that of the 2-AFC, while both d' values were significantly higher than those of the triangle and duo-trio. This suggested that effects of memory were more important those of sequence of tasting. © 2006, Blackwell Publishing.