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Abstract:
The authors conducted 4 experiments to test the decision-bound, prototype, and distribution theories for
the categorization of sounds. They used as stimuli sounds varying in either resonance frequency or
duration. They created different experimental conditions by varying the variance and overlap of 2
stimulus distributions used in a training phase and varying the size of the stimulus continuum used in the
subsequent test phase. When resonance frequency was the stimulus dimension, the pattern of
categorization-function slopes was in accordance with the decision-bound theory. When duration was the
stimulus dimension, however, the slope pattern gave partial support for the decision-bound and distribution
theories. The authors introduce a new categorization model combining aspects of decision-bound
and distribution theories that gives a superior account of the slope patterns across the 2 stimulus
dimensions.
