The Strategic Basis of Performance in Binary Classification Tasks: Strategy Choices and Strategy Transitions

Expanding the search for a linear separability constraint on category learning

“…In the present study, to reach perfect performance using a memorization strategy, a participant in the NLS 3 condition would need to memorize 9 different stimuli, and a participant in the NLS 9 condition would need to memorize 27 stimuli. Recent work by Bourne, Healy, Parker, and Rickard (1998) on classification strategies suggests that a strategy's effectiveness and ease of use strongly influence when and whether participants will adopt the strategy. They showed that exemplar strategies dominated tasks where the rule strategy was difficult to implement, but they also showed that a rule strategy can dominate if the rule is simple to learn.…”

As easy to memorize as they are to classify: The 5–4 categories and the category advantage

“…A recent study on strategy transitions in classification provides support for this position. Using a two-category classification task, Bourne, Healy, Parker, and Rickard (1999) compared strategy use for learning and transfer. Like Johansen and Palmeri (2002), Bourne et al found more rule use than exemplar use in early performance.…”

Strategy shifts in classification skill acquisition: Does memory retrieval dominate rule use?

“…In contrast, most participants eventually preferred a memory-based strategy in an artificial task condition (in which participants had to base their response on whether meaningless letter strings conformed to an alphabetical sequence). Overall measures (accuracy and response time [RT]) showed that performance was better under the control of the preferred strategy-either rule or memory-than under the nonpreferred strategy.The findings by Bourne et al (1999) suggest that extant models probably do not satisfy all tasks in which strategy use and strategy shifts occur. It may be that rule use will persist indefinitely if the rule can be applied more quickly than memory retrieval in the later stages of practice.…”

“…The findings by Bourne et al (1999) suggest that extant models probably do not satisfy all tasks in which strategy use and strategy shifts occur. It may be that rule use will persist indefinitely if the rule can be applied more quickly than memory retrieval in the later stages of practice.…”

“…Under these conditions, guessing is unlikely and a transition from memory retrieval to rule use is virtually impossible. In a binary classification task, using a simple self-report procedure to identify strategies, Bourne, Healy, Parker, and Rickard (1999) found that strategy shifts are not always in the rule-to-memory direction. When participants were not preinstructed in the rule or algorithm for a task, most of them reported guessing on early trials.…”