On the Rate of Gain of Information¶
Hick, W. E. (1952). On the Rate of Gain of Information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 4(1), 11-26.
Cited by¶
3 citations across 3 artifacts.
Each citation links to the sentence it supports in the citing article.
Primes¶
- Channel Capacity
- In cognitive psychology working-memory capacity, Hick's law relating response time to the logarithm of the choice set, and attentional bandwidth are all channel-bound constructs.
This sourceRelates choice reaction time to the logarithm of the number of alternatives, framing cognition as a limited-capacity information channel.
Supported in partVerified against the publisher's abstract
Hick 1952's own abstract reports a roughly constant rate of gain of information (~5 bits/second) in choice-reaction tasks, the empirical content behind Hick's law.
“The principal finding is that the rate of gain of information is, on the average, constant with respect to time, within the duration of one perceptual-motor act, and has a value of the order of five “bits” per second.”
- In cognitive psychology working-memory capacity, Hick's law relating response time to the logarithm of the choice set, and attentional bandwidth are all channel-bound constructs.
Mechanisms¶
- Simplified Interface
- A simplified interface fits when the overload is perceptual clutter and competing choice — a capable user slowed by too many options and signals rather than by missing knowledge — and reducing the option set measurably speeds and de-errors the task.
This sourceHick found that choice reaction time increases systematically with the information or number of response alternatives.
- A simplified interface fits when the overload is perceptual clutter and competing choice — a capable user slowed by too many options and signals rather than by missing knowledge — and reducing the option set measurably speeds and de-errors the task.
- Sparse Layout
- Hick's Law names the upside being harvested — decision time rises with the number of options
This sourceReports that choice reaction time increases with the number of alternatives and the information presented by the choice.
- Hick's Law names the upside being harvested — decision time rises with the number of options
Verification¶
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