Adaptive context dependent psychophysics and perference

有一类情况在行为科学中得到了大量的理论和实证研究，它涉及从一系列可用选项中选择“最好的”(有时是“最差的”)选项。这类情况的两个主要例子是“偏好”和“认同”。在典型的偏好情况下，一个人必须选择他或她认为最好(或最差)的选项--例如，从汽车、公交车和地铁中选择首选的交通方式；选择针对慢性病的首选治疗；或者从目前正在出售的房屋中选择首选的房屋。典型的(绝对)辨认情景可能包括目击者从照片中辨认嫌疑人；或者，在受控的实验情景中，辨认钢琴键盘上几个可能的键中的哪一个已经被弹奏。

A class of situations that has received considerable theoretical and empirical study in the behavioral sciences involves the selection of the 'best' (and, sometimes, the 'worst') option from a set of available options. Two major examples of such situations are 'preference' and 'identification.' In a typical preference situation, a person has to select the option that he or she considers 'best' (or 'worst') - for instance, select the preferred mode of transportation among, say, car, bus, and subway; select the preferred treatment for a chronic health condition; or select the preferred house from those currently for sale. A typical (absolute) identification situation might involve an eye witness identifying a suspect from a photograph; or, in a controlled experimental situation, identifying which of several possible keys on a piano keyboard has been played.