Cue Abstraction and Exemplars in Multiple-Cue Judgment

Although categorization and multiple-cue judgment are similar tasks, categorization models emphasize exemplar memory, while multiple cue judgment routinely is interpreted in terms of mental integration of cue weights that are abstracted in training. We investigate if these conclusions derive from genuine differences in the processes in the two tasks or are accidental to different research methods. The results reveal large individual differences and a shift from exemplar memory to mental cueabstraction when the criterion is changed from classification to continuous. This suggests that people switch between qualitatively distinct processes in the two tasks.