Posner and his colleagues had participants view two letters and respond according to whether these letters were both vowels, both consonants, or one of each. Participants were fastest when viewing two physically identical letters, somewhat slower when viewing the same letter in two different fonts, and slowest when two different consonants were presented. This finding shows that
A)we form multiple representations of stimuli.
B)we form representations of stimuli based only on their physical attributes.
C)we form representations of stimuli based only on their abstract category membership.
D)more complex mental representations produce faster reaction times.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The finding that participants were fastest when viewing physically identical letters suggests that we form multiple representations of stimuli, which can be accessed more easily when they match. This suggests that our perception and understanding of stimuli is not based solely on their physical attributes or abstract category membership, but rather on a variety of representations that we form based on different features of the stimuli. Additionally, the finding that reaction times were slower when viewing different consonants suggests that more complex mental representations can take longer to process.

Posner and His Colleagues Had Participants View Two Letters and Respond