Smith J David
Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA.
Psychon Bull Rev. 2006 Oct;13(5):743-51. doi: 10.3758/bf03193991.
Similarity-choice (S-C) models of categorization contain two principal mathematical transformations: an exponential-decay similarity function and a choice rule. However, there is a tension between the psychological processes that models emulate and the mathematics they use to do so. To illustrate this, I show that in these models an unappreciated interaction occurs between the mathematical transformations so that the stages of the model essentially cancel each other out. The result is that the model's output reflects its input linearly. This cancellation phenomenon has potentially serious implications regarding the interpretation and use of S-C models. The phenomenon also raises questions about the simplification and psychological grounding of categorization models. Modelers broadly might benefit from an internal analysis of their models, such as that described here.
分类的相似性选择（S-C）模型包含两个主要的数学变换：指数衰减相似性函数和选择规则。然而，模型所模拟的心理过程与它们用于模拟的数学之间存在矛盾。为了说明这一点，我表明在这些模型中，数学变换之间会发生一种未被重视的相互作用，以至于模型的各个阶段基本上相互抵消。结果是模型的输出线性地反映其输入。这种抵消现象对于S-C模型的解释和使用可能具有潜在的严重影响。该现象还引发了关于分类模型的简化和心理基础的问题。一般来说，建模者可能会从对其模型的内部分析中受益，比如这里所描述的分析。
