LINEAR-REGRESSION AND PROCESS-TRACING MODELS OF JUDGMENT

The process of vicarious functioning, by which equivalent judgments can result from different patterns of cues, is central to any theory of judgment. It is argued that both linear regression and process-tracing models capture the various aspects of vicarious functioning: the former by dealing with the ambiguities that the organism faces with regard to the substitutions and trade-offs between cues in a redundant environment, and the latter by dealing with cue search and attention. Furthermore, although the surface structures and levels of detail of the 2 models are different, it is shown that process-tracing protocols can be generated via a general additive rule. Therefore, both types of models can be capturing the same underlying process, although at different levels of generality. Two experiments in which both models are built and tested on the same data are presented. In Exp I, experienced MMPI users made diagnostic judgments of the degree of adjustment/maladjustment from MMPI profiles; in Exp II, 1 S evaluated the nutritional quality of breakfast cereals. Results are discussed with respect to (a) links between judgment, choice, and task structure; (b) rule generality and awareness; and (c) advantages of a multimethod approach. (74 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.