ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a new point of view in psychophysics and to trace some of its implications. In the determination of a difference limen, the psychophysical judgment, no matter which of the classical methods is followed, is traditionally considered to be a function of two factors: the separation or difference between the two physical stimulus magnitudes, and a discriminatory power measured in terms of sense-distances or just noticeable differences. The psychological continuum is supposedly determined by these just noticeable differences or equal appearing intervals. It is not necessary to limit psychophysical analysis to stimuli which have intensity or magnitude as their principal attribute. Psychologically some of the attributes can be measured, while physically the measurement may even be impossible. The stimuli may be used to designate locations in the psychological scale just as though the stimuli, or their names, were used as tags or landmarks in a continuum which has otherwise no identifying marks or mile posts.
