Where does the congruity effect come from in memorial comparative judgments? A serial-position-based distinctiveness account

Authors

Jerwen Jou, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Eric E. Escamilla, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Andy U. Torres, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Alejandro Ortiz Jr., The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Paola Salazar, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2018

Abstract

A congruity effect (CE) refers to choosing the larger of two large things (smaller of two small things) faster than vice versa. The source of the CE in comparative judgments has been debated for decades without a definitive answer. Major extant models, e.g., the semantic-coding, the expectancy, and the evidence accrual models attribute the effect to matching or mismatching between the instruction (“choose larger” or “choose smaller”) and the magnitude of the stimulus. However, previous research showed that manipulations of instruction did not have an effect on the CE. In five experiments, we showed that the instruction played no role in the generation of the CE and that serial-position-based (global), but not isolation-based (local) distinctiveness could provide a coherent explanation for the origin of the CE and a number of experimental findings related to the issues of the CE.

Comments

© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recommended Citation

Jou, J., Escamilla, E. E., Torres, A. U., Ortiz Jr, A., & Salazar, P. (2018). Where does the congruity effect come from in memorial comparative judgments? A serial-position-based distinctiveness account. Journal of Memory and Language, 103, 127-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2018.08.003

Publication Title

Journal of Memory and Language

DOI

10.1016/j.jml.2018.08.003