Extending the Category Adjustment Model: Location memory biases in 3-dimensional space
by Holden, Mark P., Ph.D., TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, 2011, 90 pages; 3477762

Abstract:

The ability to remember spatial locations is critical to human functioning, both in an evolutionary and an everyday sense. And yet, spatial memories and judgments often show systematic errors. Explanations for such errors have ranged from assumptions that memories are nonmetric, to the use of imperfect inferences, to the optimal combination of multiple sources of information. More recently, bias has been explained through the Category Adjustment Model – a Bayesian model in which fine-grained and categorical information are optimally combined (Huttenlocher, Hedges, & Duncan, 1991). However, experiments testing this model have largely used locations contained in simple geometric shapes. Use of this paradigm raises the issue of whether the results generalize to location memory in the complex natural world, as it should if it is to provide an over-arching framework for thinking about spatial memory. Here, this issue is addressed using a novel extension of the location memory paradigm that allows for testing of location memory in an everyday, 3D environment. The results support two predictions of the Category Adjustment Model - that memory for locations is biased toward central values, and that the magnitude of error increases with the retention interval. Future directions for testing the model in an increasingly ecologically valid manner are discussed.

 
AdvisersThomas F. Shipley; Nora Newcombe
SchoolTEMPLE UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/B 73-01, p. , Nov 2011
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsCognitive psychology
Publication Number3477762
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3477762
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.