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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Cogn Psychol. 2006 Nov 13;55(3):196–231. doi: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2006.09.004

Table 1.

Logical structure of tests used in experiments

Commonalities with base
Primary target
Alternative target
Test Relation Role Instance Relation Role Instance
Common role Same Same Different Same Different Different
Common relation Same Different Different Different -- --
Common scenario Same Different Same Different -- --
Role vs. relation:
 Role group Same Same Different Same Different Different
 Relation group Same Different Different Different -- --

Notes: Each test assesses the contribution of a specific type of relational information to similarity. Role refers to relation-specific role (e.g., chase-agent vs. chase-patient). Instance refers to specific occurrence of the relational system (i.e., whether the objects directly interacted). For each test it was predicted that participants would tend to select the primary target as more similar to the base than the alternative target. The role-vs.-relation test determines which of the common-role and common-relation effects is stronger, by comparing the strength of preference for the primary target between two groups.