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On the category adjustment model: another look at Huttenlocher, Hedges, and Vevea (2000)

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  • Sean Duffy

    (Rutgers University-Camden)

  • John Smith

    (Rutgers University-Camden)

Abstract

Huttenlocher et al. (J Exp Psychol Gen 129:220–241, 2000) introduce the category adjustment model (CAM). Given that participants imperfectly remember stimuli (which we refer to as “targets”), CAM holds that participants maximize accuracy by using information about the distribution of the targets to improve their judgments. CAM predicts that judgments will be a weighted average of the imperfect memory of the target and the mean of the distribution of targets. Huttenlocher et al. (2000) report on three experiments and conclude that CAM is “verified”. We attempt to replicate the conditions in Experiment 3 from Huttenlocher et al. (2000). We analyze judgment-level data rather than averaged data. We find evidence of a bias toward a set of recent targets rather than a bias toward the running mean. We do not find evidence of learning. The judgments in our dataset are not consistent with CAM. We discuss other defects in HHV—including dividing by zero. It seems that evidence for CAM is a statistical artifact that appears when researchers analyze data averaged across trials and do not consider a recency bias.

Suggested Citation

  • Sean Duffy & John Smith, 2020. "On the category adjustment model: another look at Huttenlocher, Hedges, and Vevea (2000)," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 19(1), pages 163-193, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:minsoc:v:19:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11299-020-00229-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11299-020-00229-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:bla:jfinan:v:59:y:2004:i:2:p:623-650 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Sarah R., Allred & L. Elizabeth, Crawford & Sean, Duffy & John, Smith, 2015. "Working memory and spatial judgments: Cognitive load increases the central tendency bias," MPRA Paper 63520, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Paymon Ashourian & Yonatan Loewenstein, 2011. "Bayesian Inference Underlies the Contraction Bias in Delayed Comparison Tasks," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(5), pages 1-8, May.
    4. repec:cup:judgdm:v:7:y:2012:i:6:p:746-749 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Crosetto, Paolo & Filippin, Antonio & Katuščák, Peter & Smith, John, 2020. "Central tendency bias in belief elicitation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Duffy, Sean & Smith, John, 2020. "Omitted-variable bias and other matters in the defense of the category adjustment model: A comment on Crawford (2019)," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Duffy, Sean & Smith, John, 2017. "Category effects on stimulus estimation: Shifting and skewed frequency distributions - A reexamination," MPRA Paper 76042, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hertel, Johanna & Igan, Deniz & Smith, John, 2023. "On the dynamics of the responses in Frydman and Jin (2022): Nullius in verba," MPRA Paper 117788, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Judgment; Memory; Category adjustment model; Central tendency bias; Recency effects; Bayesian judgments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments
    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior

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