Quality Space
Oxford University Press eBooks October 10, 1996 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198236801.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that while qualia may remain elusive, qualitative identity of sensory experiences is increasingly predictable: measurable factors and mathematical models can forecast which stimulus pairs a subject will find indiscriminable with fair success in some domains. The chapter organizes much of empirical perception research since the mid-19th century under this rubric and addresses differentiative properties, multidimensional scaling, and circularity objections. |
Abstract
Efforts thus far have yielded an ability in principle to predict which classes of stimuli a given subject will find to be indiscriminable, and hence which pairs of stimuli the subject will find to be qualitatively identical. At least in some stimulus domains, one can predict which pairs of stimuli a given subject will find to present qualitatively identical sensory experiences. We can measure many of the factors that bear on the indiscriminability of stimulus domains, and construct mathematical models that predict matching with a fair degree of success. Much of the progress in the empirical study of perception since the mid-19th century can be detailed under this rubric. While qualia may still prove elusive, qualitative identity is increasingly within our grasp. This chapter discusses how differentiative properties can be identified. It also looks at order from indiscriminability, multidimensional orders, relative similarity as a basis, multidimensional scaling, companionship and community, dimensions and differentiative attributes, and circularity objections.