Figural goodness and internal structure in perceptual discrimination

The time required for 24 Ss to sort four decks of cards composed of 5-dot figures (Garner & Clement, 1963) was measured. A deck consisted of 32 cards: 4 each of 8 patterns. There were 4 sets of figures: Sets AI and A2 had identical amount and form of redundancy; so also did BI and 82. Sets BI and B2, having more uncertainty in simple contingencies and having negative interaction terms, required significantly more time to sort than Sets AI and A2, All sets differed in mean ratings of figural goodness, (Garner & Clement, 1963). Even when amount and form of redundancy are held constant, the figural goodness of the individual figures constituting the set influence the discriminability, Sets consisting of good or simpler figures are easier to sort.