Abstract
This experiment is a replication of experiments reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993) using the visual numerosity task. The aim was to replicate the transition from controlled to automatic processing reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993), and to examine the extent to which this result, reported with average group results, can be observed in the results of individuals within a group. The group results in this experiment did replicate those reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993); however, one half of the sample did not attain automaticity with the task, and one-third did not exhibit a transition from controlled to automatic processing. These results raise questions about the pervasiveness of automaticity, and the interpretation of group means when examining cognitive processes.
Highlights
Speelman and McGann’s (2013) paper contained a clear message for Psychology: Be wary of phenomena that are discovered on the basis of average group data
The slope values follow the pattern of results reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993) – that is, the slopes decline in value from Early to Late in practice – the Late result does not reach 0 ms/asterisk, as would be expected if the results reflected complete automaticity
Practice with the visual numerosity task resulted in a change in the pattern of performance, with reaction time (RT) early in practice being a function of numerosity, whereas later in practice the relationship between RT and numerosity became weaker
Summary
Speelman and McGann’s (2013) paper contained a clear message for Psychology: Be wary of phenomena that are discovered on the basis of average group data. Speelman and McGann (2013) argued that the averaging process typically used in the analysis methods adopted by Psychology can mask individual results that may be counter to those revealed by the group results. The take-home message from these experiments is usually represented as a pattern of results that are generated by averaging across the results of individuals. This results in a ‘clean’ picture of behavior where the noise associated with individual differences has effectively been removed. The effects can be replicated enough, they may only exist when the data from several individuals are combined, and as a result may not reflect the cognitive processes of many, and at worst, any individuals in that group
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