Constructing a Group Distribution From Individual Distributions.

A group distribution is a synthesis of a set of individual distributions. To be adequate, a method for creating group distributions should not introduce characteristics that are not present in the individual distributions and preserve those that are present. A method occasionally used is quantile av...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Expérimentale Vol. 70; no. 3; pp. 253 - 278
Main Authors: Cousineau, Denis, Thivierge, Jean-Philippe, Harding, Bradley, Lacouture, Yves
Format: Article
Published: Canadian Psychological Association Sep2016
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=117408505&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 117408505
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        11961961
        CJX
      jtl: Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Expérimentale
      issn: 11961961
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Sep2016
      vid: 70
      iid: 3
      pid: 98
      pub: Canadian Psychological Association
    artinfo:
      ui:
        117408505
        10.1037/cep0000069
      ppf: 253
      ppct: 25
      formats:
        fmt:
          @attributes:
            type: P
            size: 4.8MB
      tig:
        atl: Constructing a Group Distribution From Individual Distributions.
      aug:
        au:
          Cousineau, Denis
          Thivierge, Jean-Philippe
          Harding, Bradley
          Lacouture, Yves
        affil:
          Université d'Ottawa
          Université Laval
      su:
        Confidence intervals
        Mathematical models of psychology
        Reaction time
        Regression analysis
        Thought & thinking
      sug:
        subj:
          Confidence intervals
          Mathematical models of psychology
          Reaction time
          Regression analysis
          Thought & thinking
      keyword:
        base response times
        distributions
        group distribution
        quantiles
        response times
        distribution de groupe
        temps de réaction
        temps de réaction base
        base response times
        distributions
        group distribution
        quantiles
        response times
        distribution de groupe
        temps de réaction
        temps de réaction base
      ab: A group distribution is a synthesis of a set of individual distributions. To be adequate, a method for creating group distributions should not introduce characteristics that are not present in the individual distributions and preserve those that are present. A method occasionally used is quantile averaging (sometimes called vincentizations), applied generally to response time distributions. However, it is shown here using quantile-quantile plots on empirical response times that this method is inadequate. As shown by Thomas and Ross (1980, Journal of Mathematical Psychology), to solve this problem, quantile averaging can be generalised using an appropriate nonlinear transformation of the data. Here we argue that the correct transformation is the log transform of response times to which the base response time has been removed. Equivalently, the geometric mean of the quantiles can be used. We first propose 4 estimates of the base response times. We next examine empirical data in a same--different task, in a redundant-attribute target detection task and in a visual search task. The results show that this approach is appropriate to construct group distributions. It can be used to aggregate distributions over multiple participants, over multiple sessions of training for a given participant, or both.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N