Two-dimensional probabilistic images discrimination. I. Simultaneously presented pairs of patterns.

Reaction time and judgment of similarity or dissimilarity were studied in an experiment on two-dimensional probabilistic images (TDPIs) composed of rectangular black and white cells with statistical distribution of these elements 0.5-0.5. The subjects were asked to report verbally whether pairs of TDPIs, presented for 700 ms, appeared to them similar or not. Three sets of TDPIs differed as to the size of their "grain". Within the pairs "physically identical patterns", "statistically same patterns" or "different patterns" have been used. The statistically same patterns pairs reached the lowest (39 percent) judgment correctness. Reaction times for these pairs were generally longer than for others. In the case of identical patterns and statistically same patterns pairs the results indicated a general increase of the processing time as the size of grain had increased. There was a general tendency of reaction time shortening in successive sessions. These results suggest that correct discrimination of TDPIs does not depend primarily upon their grain.