Distinctive Features or Feature Analysis Model
Assumption:
- stimuli consist of combinations of elementary features; (e.g for the alphabet, features may include horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonals, and curves)
- make discriminations based on a small number of characteristics of stimuli
- distinctive feature components stored in memory
Psychological Evidence: Gibson (1969)
- decide whether or not two letters are different
- takes longer to respond to P & R versus G & M
- P & R share many critical features
Neurological Evidence: Hubel & Wiesel (1962)
- microelectrodes in cats' brains (visual cortex)
- some neurons respond only to horizontal lines, others to diagonals...
- similar evidence in monkeys (Maunsell & Newsome, 1987)
- certain feature detectors are 'wired' and help us identify features and simple patterns