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Abstract

An experiment is conducted to investigate the use of computer graphics and cluster analysis in aiding human relational judgment. The experimental stimuli were similarity matrices from real-world data sources. The experimental tasks required the subjects to detect the number of clusters or to judge the similarity value between a designated pair of objects in the displayed matrix. Each matrix was either ordered randomly or arranged according to the results of cluster analysis. Each matrix was displayed in one of four schemes: number scheme, color scheme, size scheme or 3-D vertical line scheme. The results indicated that the cluster-ordered displays greatly facilitated cluster detection performance in three out of the four display schemes, with the 3-D line scheme as the only exception. Matrix ordering had no effect on the value judgment task. The proximity compatibility principle (Wickens, 1987) and theories of perceptual grouping (Garner, 1976; Pomerantz, 1981) provided predictions and were tested in this experiment. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed.

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Use of Computer Graphics and Cluster Analysis in Aiding Relational Judgment

Abstract

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References