A number of important models of information processing depend on whether processing is serial or parallel. However, many of the studies purporting to settle the case use weak experimental paradigms or results to draw conclusions. A brief history of the issue is given along with examples from the literature. Then a number of promising methods are presented from a variety of sources with some discussion of their potential. A brief discussion of the topic with regard to overall issues of model testing and applications concludes the paper.
| Ashby, F.G., Townsend, J.T. (1980) Decomposing the reaction time distribution pure in insertion and selective influence revisited. Journal of Mathematical psychology, 21(2), 93–123. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Atkinson, J., Campbell, F.W., Francis, M.R. (1976) The magic number 4: A new look at visual numerosity judgmentsPerception5, 327–374. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI |
| Atkinson, R.C., Holmgren, J.E., Juola, J.F. (1969) processing time as influenced by the number of elements in a visual display. Perception & psychophysics, 16, 321–326. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Broadbent, D.E. (1958). Perception and communication. London: Pergamon. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Capaldi, E.J., Miller, D.J. (1988) Counting in rats: Its functional significance and the independent cognitive process that constitute it. Journal of Experimental psychology: Animal Behavior process, 14, 3–17. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Colonius, H. (1986) Measuring channel dependence in separate active models. Perception & Psychophysics, 40, 251–255. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Davis, H., Pérusse, R. (1988) Numerical competence in animal: Definitional issues, current evidence and a new research agenda. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 11, 561–615. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Donders, F.C. (1895) On the speed of mental processes (Koster, W. G. , Trans.). InKoster, W.G. , (Ed.), Attention and performance (Vol 2) Amsterdam: North Holland. Google Scholar |
| Egeth, H. (1966) Parallel versus serial processes in Multidimensional stimulus discrimination. Perception & psychopysics, 1, 245–252. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Egeth, H., Folk, C., Mullin, P. (1988) spatial parallelism in the processing of lines, Letters, and lexicality. InShepp, B.E., Ballesteros, (Eds), object perception: Structure and process. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar |
| Egeth, H., Jonides, J., Wall, S. (1972) parallel processing of multielement displaycognitive psychology, 3, 674–698. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Eriksen, C.W., Murphy, T.D. (1987) Movement of attention focus across the visual field: A critical look at the evidence. Perception & psychophysics, 43, 299–305. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Eriksen, C.W., Spencer, T. (1969). Rate of information processing in visual perception: some results and methodological considerations. Journal of Experimental psychology Monographs79(2, Pt 2). Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Estes, W.K., Taylor, H.A. (1964) A detection method and probabilistic models for assessing information from brief visual displays. Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences, 52, 446–454. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Estes, W.K., Taylor, H.A. (1966) Visual detection in relation to display size and redundancy of critical elements. Perception & psychophysics, 1, 9–16. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Gottsdanker, R., Shragg, G.P. (1985) Verification of Donders subtraction method. Journal of Experimental psychology: Human perception and performance, 11, 765–776. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Hamilton, J. (1865) Lectures on metaphysics and logic (Vol. 1) Edinburgh: Blackwood. Google Scholar |
| Hunter, W.S, Siegler, M. (1940) The span of Visual discrimination as a function of time and intensity of stimulation. Journal of Experimental psychology, 26, 160–179. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Johnson, N.F. (1977). A pattern unit model of word identification. InLaberge, D., Samuels, S. J., (Eds)Basic process in reading: perception and comprehension. Hillsdale, NJ; Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar |
| Johnson, N.F. (1986). On the detection of letters within redundant arrays. Perception & psychophysics, 40(2), 93–100. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Johnson, N.F., Blum, A. J. (1988) When redundancy burst letter detection: An attempt to define one condition. Perception & psychophysics, 43, 147–155. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Kaufman, E., Lord, M.W., Reese, T.W., Volkman, J. (1949) The discrimination of visual number. American Journal of psychology, 62, 498–525. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Klahr, D., Wallace, J.G. (1973) The role of quantification operators in the development of conservation. Cognitive psychology, 4, 301–327. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Krueger, L.E., Shapiro, R.G. (1980a) Repeating the target neither speeds nor slows its detection: Evidence for independence channels in letter processing. Perception & psychophysics, 28, 68–76. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Krueger, L.E., Shapiro, R.G. (1980b) why research for target absence is so slow (and careful) The more targets there are, the more likely your are to miss one. Journal of Experimental Pyschology: Human perception and performance, 6, 662–685. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Logan, G.D. (1978). Attention demands of visual search. Memory & Cognition6(4), 446–453. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Logan, G.D. (1985) skill and automaticity: Relations, implications, and future directions. Canadian journal of psychology, 39(2), 367–386. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Luce, R.D. (1963) Detection and recognition. InLuce, R.D., Bush, R.R., Galanter, E, (Eds)Handbook of mathematical psychology, 103–189New York: Wiley. Google Scholar |
| Luce, R.D. (1986) Response times: Their role in preferring eliminatory mental organization. New York: Oxford University press. Google Scholar |
| Mandler, G., Sheob, B.J. (1982) subitizing: an analyzing of its component process. Journal of Experimental psychology: General, 111, 1–22. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Massaro, D.W. (1987). Speech perception by ear and eye; A paradigm for psychological inquiry. InDodd, B., Campbell, R., (Eds.), Hearing by Eye: Experimental studies in the psychology of Lipreading (Chap 1) Hillsdale, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar |
| Meyer, D.E., Irwin, D., Osman, A.M, Kounios, J. (1988). The dynamics of cognition and action: Mental processes inferred from speed-accuracy decomposition. Psychological Review, 95, 183–237. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Meyer, D. E., Yantis, S., Osman, A., Smith, J.E.K. (1984). Discrete VS. Continuous models of response preparation: A reaction time analysis. InKornblum, S., Requin, J., (Eds.), Preparatory states and processes.. Google Scholar |
| Miller, J.O. (1982). Divided attention: Evidence for coactivation with redundant signals. Cognitive Psychology, 14, 247–279. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Miller, J.O. (1986). Time course of coactivation in bimodal divided attention. Perception & Psychophysics, 40, 331–343. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Miller, J.O. (1988). Discrete and continous models of information processing: Theoretical distinctions and empirical results. Acta Psychologica, 67, 191–257. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Murdock, B.B. (1971). A parallel-processing models for scanning. Perception & psychophysics, 10, 289–291. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Neisser, U. (1967). Cognitive psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Google Scholar |
| Pachella, R. (1974). The interpretation of reaction time in information processing research. InKantowitz, B.H. , (Ed.), Human information processing: Tutorials in performance and cognition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar |
| Pieters, J.P.M. (1983). Sternberg's additive factor method and underlying psychological processes: Some theoretical considerations. psychological Bulletin, 93, 411–426. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Ratcliff, R. (1988). Continuous versus descrete information processing: Modeling accumulation of partial information. Pyschological Review95(2), 238–255. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Ross, B. H., Anderson, J.R. (1981). A test of parallel versus serial processing applied to memory retrival. Journal of Mathematical psychological24(3), 183–223. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Sagi, D., Julesz, B. (1985a) “Where” and “what” in vision. Science228, 1217–1219. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Sagi, D., Julesz, B. (1985b) Deletion vs. discrimination of visual orientation. Perception14, 619–628. Google Scholar |
| Sagi, D., Julesz, B. (1987) Short-range limitation on detection of feature difference. Spatial Vision, 2(1), 39–49. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Schneilder, W., Detweiler, M. (1987). A connectionist/control architecture for working memory. The psychological of learning and Motivation, 21, 53–119. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Schulman, G. L., Remington, R.W., McClean, J.P. (1979). Moving attention through visual space. Journal of Experimental Human perception and performance, 5, 522–526. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Schweickert, R., Townsend, J.T. (1989) A trichotomy: Interactions of factors prolonging sequential and concurrent mental process in stochastic discrete mental (PERT) networks. Journal of Mathematical psychology, 33, 328–347. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Shepard, R.N. (1958). Stimulus and response generalization: Deduction of the generalization gradient from model. Psychological Review, 65, 242–283. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Shiffrin, R.M., Gardner, G.T. (1972). Visual processing capacity and attentional control. Journal of Experimental psychology, 93, 72–82. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
| Snodgrass, J.G. (1972). Reactions times for companies of successively presented visual patterns: Evidence for serial self-terminating search. Perception & psychological, 12(4). Google Scholar |
| Sperling, G. (1960). The information available in brief visual presentations. Psychological Monographs, 74(11, Whole No. 498). Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Sperling, G. (1963). A Model for visual memory tasks. Human Factors, 5, 19–31. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI |
| Sperling, G. (1967). Successive approximations to a model for shrot-term memory. Acta Psychologica27, 285–292. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Sternberg, S. (1969). The discovery of processing stages: Extensions of Donders method. InKoster, W. G. , (Ed.), Attention and performance (Vol. 2) Amsterdam: North Holland. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Taylor, D.A. (1976). Stage analysis of reaction time. Psychological Bulletin, 83, 161–191. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Theios, J. (1973). Reactions measurement in the study of memory processes: Theory and data. InBower, G.H. , (Ed.), The psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 7). New YorkAcademic Press. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Thomas, E.A.C. (1969a). Distribution free tests for mixed probability distributions. Biometrika, 56(3), 475. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Thomas, E.A.C. (1969b). Alternative models for information processing: constructing non-parametric tests. British Journal of Mathematical and statistical Psychology22, 105. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Townsend, J.T. (1971). A note on the identifiability of parallel and series process. Perception & Psychophsysics, 10, 161–163. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Townsend, J.T. (1971b). Theoretical analysis of an alphabetic confusion matrix. Perception & psychophysics, 9, 40–50. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Townsend, J.T. (1972). Some results on the identifiability of parallel and serial processes. British Journal of Mathematical and statistics psychology, 25, 168–199. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Townsend, J.T. (1974a). Issues an models concerning the processing of a finite number of inputs. InKantowitz, B. H. , (Ed.), Human information processing: Tutorial in performance and cognition. (pp133–168). Hillside, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar |
| Townsend, J.T. (1974b). Independent parallel models and analysis of reaction time distribution.paper presented at the 7th Mathematical psychology meeting, Ann Arbor, MI. Google Scholar |
| Townsend, J.T. (1976). Serial and within-stage independent parallel model equivalence on the minimum completion time. Journal of Mathematical psychology, 14, 219–238. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Townsend, J.T. (1981). Some characteristics of visual whole report behavior. Acta Psychologica, 47, 149–173. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Townsend, J.T. (1984). Uncovering mental process with factorial experiments. Journal of Mathematical psychology28(4), 363–400. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Townsend, J.T., Ashby, F.G. (1983) Stochastic modeling of elementary pshychological processes. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar |
| Townsend, J.T., Evans, R. (1983). A systems approach to parallel serial test ability and visual feature processing. InGeissler, H.G. , (Ed.), Modern issues in perception (pp166–189) Berlin: VEB Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Townsend, J.T., Fial, R. (1968). Spatiotemporal characteristics of multisymbol perception.Paper presented at the 1st Annual Mathematical psychology meetings, Stanford, CA. Google Scholar |
| Townsend, J.T., Nozawa, G. (1988). Strong evidence for parallel processing with simple dot stimuli. Paper presented at the 29th meeting of Psychonomic society, Chicago. Google Scholar |
| Townsend, J.T., Roos, R.N. (1973). Search reaction time for single targets in multiletter stimuli with brief visual displays. Memory and cognition, 1, 319–332. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Townsend, J.T., Schweickert, R. (1985) Interactive effects of factors prolonging processes in latent-mental networks. Ind'Ydewalle, G. , (Ed.), Cognition information processing, and motivation (Vol. 3, 255–276). 23rd International congress of Psychology. Amsterdam: North Holland. Google Scholar |
| Townsend, J.T., Schweickert, R. (1989). Toward the trichotomy method of reaction times: Laying the foundation of stochastic mental networks. Journal of Mathematical psychology, 33, 309–327. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Treisman, A., Gormican, S. (1988). Feature analysis in early vision: Evidence from search asymmetries. Psychological Review, 95(1), 15–48. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Treisman, A., Sykes, M., Gelade, G. (1977). Selective attention and stimulus integration. InDornic, Stanislaw , (Ed.), Attention and performance VI. Hillsdale., NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar |
| van der Heijden, A.H.C. (1975). Some evidence for a limited capacity parallel self-terminating process in simple visual search tasks. Acta Psychological39, 21–41. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Wander Heijden, A.H.C., La Heij, W., Boer, J.P.A. (1983) Parallel processing of redundant targets in simple visual search tasks. psychological Research, 45, 235–254. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI |
| Wan Zandt, P.A., Townsend, J.T.Testing serial and parallel processing hypothesis in visual whole report experiments.Manuscript in preparation. Based on MA thesis of Van Zandt by same title. Purdue University. 1988. Google Scholar |
| Vorberg, D. (1977). On the equivalence of parallel and serial models of information processing.Paper presented at the 10th annual mathematical psychology Meetings. Los Angles. Google Scholar |
| Wolford, G.L., Holloingsworth, S. (1968) Evidence that shrot-term memory is not the limiting factor in the tachistoscopic full-report procedure. Memory and congnition, 2, 796–800. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI |
| Wolford, G.L., Wessel, D.L., Estes, W.K. (1968) Further evidence concerning scanning and sampling assumptions of visual detection models. Perception & Psychophysics, 3, 439–444. Google Scholar | Crossref |
| Yantis, S. (1988). On analog movements of visual attention. Perception & psychopysics, 43, 203–206. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
Serial And Parallel Processing Psychology
Serial Processing Vs Parallel Processing System
Visual Search Parallel Processing Parallel Model Serial Processing Memory Search These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. What's the difference between these 2 types of processing? -SERIAL Processing & --PARALLEL Processing Which one is for Searching for 1 SINGLE FEATURE AND WHICH ONE IS FOR SEARCHING FOR 2 FEATURES I'm confused what the main differnece is. What I do understand is that Parallel is for multiple processes at a time and Serial has a lot of distractors, which makes it more complex and (probably slower??).