NUMERICAL SCALING TECHNIQUES FOR EVALUATING GENERATIVE MODELS OF ORTHOGRAPHIES

Research presented introduces a new approach for empirically investiga ting generative or inductive-like systems. Two versions of a generativ e model of the uppercase English alphabet are examined. The approach i s both formal and interdisciplinary, applying techniques developed by psychophysics to a problem that is typically linguistic. Experimental results presented illustrate empirical methods and analytic tools used , and demonstrate how the techniques advance the psychological study o f the English alphabet. Two different theoretical models of the alphab etic system are evaluated strictly on the basis of empirically observe d two-alternative forced-choice data. Scaling methods described produc e a numerical scale for generated alphabetic items which permits infor mative comparisons between scale values and across independently deriv ed scales. The scaling theory used is a variant of Thurstone's Case V model. The methods can also be utilized to further model construction. Implications of the findings for the existing body of writing-system research, and the generalizability of the approach to other domains of investigation are also discussed.