Applications of Information Theory and Decision Theory to Human Perception and Reaction

Abstract

Since the publication of Wiener's Cybernetics, the application to psychology of conceptual techniques derived from the physical sciences has proceeded apace. One of the most stimulating developments of this sort has been the use of information theory in the study of human perception and choice reaction, and the present chapter is intended to outline some of the ways in which this has happened. In this chapter, experimental work is reviewed on the efficiency of perception of stimuli conveying various amounts of information. Broadly speaking, the nature of the ensemble from which the particular stimulus is drawn has been proved beyond doubt to be an important variable, but quantitative applications of information theory have been less successful. Similarly, experiments on reaction time have established that time often varies with the amount of information being transmitted, in this area numerical predictions have been more successful but there are nevertheless some discrepancies and difficulties. A more recent development has been the application of decision theory as a model for human performance: and this, by emphasizing the importance of errors in response, and by providing a place for rewards and losses, seems to be a hopeful line for further advance.