Whether the Pairwise Rating Method and the Spatial Arrangement Method yield comparable dimensionalities depends on the dimensionality choice procedure

We investigate whether the Pairwise Rating Method (PRaM) and Spatial Arrangement (SpAM) yield multidimensional scaling (MDS) solutions of comparable dimensionality. Across three studies that included twelve semantic categories with varying numbers both pictorial verbal exemplars, we did not find consistent dimensionality differences between two similarity measurement methods. The results alleviate concern SpAM might underestimate high-dimensional stimuli compared to PRaM. However, resulting number dimensions was found be highly dependent on choice procedure, indicating need for a more systematic investigation into selection MDS.