Work

Optimal experimental design for model discrimination.

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Models of a psychological process can be difficult to discriminate experimentally because it is not easy to determine the values of the critical design variables (e.g., presentation schedule, stimulus structure) that will be most informative in differentiating them. Recent developments in sampling-based search methods in statistics make it possible to determine these values and thereby identify an optimal experimental design. After describing the method, it is demonstrated in 2 content areas in cognitive psychology in which models are highly competitive: retention (i.e., forgetting) and categorization. The optimal design is compared with the quality of designs used in the literature. The findings demonstrate that design optimization has the potential to increase the informativeness of the experimental method.

Source: Psychological Review

DOI: 10.1037/a0016104

Authors: Jay I. Myung, Mark A. Pitt

Institution: The Ohio State University

Language: English

Topic: Optimal Experimental Design Methods

Subfield: Management Science and Operations Research

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Ohio State University, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health

Awards: G2806846978, Methods for Selecting Among Mathematical Models of Cognition