2012 volume 41(2) pages 236 – 238

Cite as:
Quinn S C M, Watt R J, 2012, "Are the responses generated during a psychophysical task independent of previously presented stimuli or do they depend on earlier stimulus presentations?" Perception 41(2) 236 – 238

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Are the responses generated during a psychophysical task independent of previously presented stimuli or do they depend on earlier stimulus presentations?

Sandra C M Quinn, Roger J Watt

Abstract. Quinn and Watt (2006 Perception 35 267 – 280) showed that the optimal tempi for pieces of music (ie the appropriate speed for a melody) vary from melody to melody. The current study tested if such tempi responses depend on previous stimulus presentations. To do this, we ran a many-participants single-presentation version of the Quinn and Watt experiment. 616 visitors to the Glasgow Science Centre participated. We found that the results substantially matched those obtained earlier, and demonstrate that participants’ responses are essentially independent of previously presented stimuli.
Keywords: psychophysics, previous stimulus presentation, optimal tempo.

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