ABSTRACT
Once we have established that several of the perceptual continua can be scaled by the method of magnitude estimation, as well as by other ratio-scaling procedures, an insistent question arises. Can the scales obtained by number matching be used to predict how subjects will perform when they are asked to make a direct comparison between two different sensory continua? Concretely, let us design an experiment in which your task is to match the apparent loudness of a sound to the apparent strength of a vibration on your fingertip. Suppose I ask you to place your finger on a vibrating button, and at the same time to listen to a sound delivered to your ears through earphones. I then ask you to adjust the level of the sound until its apparent loudness seems as great as the strength of the vibration on your finger. Now if I set the amplitude of the vibration at various levels, can you adjust the sound to create an apparent match? And would results obtained previously by magnitude estimation predict the levels at which you set the sounds?
