Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA.
Behav Res Methods. 2024 Aug;56(5):4239-4254. doi: 10.3758/s13428-023-02174-6. Epub 2023 Aug 1.
Given the recent interest in how memory operates in social contexts, it is more important than ever to meaningfully measure the similarity between recall sequences of different individuals. Similarity of recall sequences of different individuals has been quantified using primarily order-agnostic and some order-sensitive measures specific to memory research without agreement on any one preferred measure. However, edit distance measures have not been used to quantify the similarity of recall sequences in collaborative memory studies. In the current study, we review a broad range of similarity measures, highlighting commonalities and differences. Using simulations and behavioral data, we show that edit distances do measure a memory-relevant factor of similarity and capture information distinct from that captured by order-agnostic measures. We answer illustrative research questions which demonstrate potential applications of edit distances in collaborative and individual memory settings and reveal the unique impact collaboration has on similarity.
鉴于最近人们对社会情境中记忆运作方式的兴趣，准确衡量不同个体回忆序列之间的相似性比以往任何时候都更为重要。目前，主要使用不考虑顺序的和一些特定于记忆研究的、对顺序敏感的度量标准来量化不同个体回忆序列的相似性，但是在没有任何一个首选度量标准的情况下，这些标准并不适用于合作记忆研究中回忆序列的相似性的量化。在本研究中，我们回顾了广泛的相似性度量标准，突出了它们的共同点和不同点。使用模拟和行为数据，我们表明编辑距离确实可以衡量记忆相关的相似性因素，并捕获与不考虑顺序的度量标准所捕获的信息不同的信息。我们回答了说明性的研究问题，这些问题展示了编辑距离在合作和个体记忆环境中的潜在应用，并揭示了合作对相似性的独特影响。
