CUE COMPETITION IN CAUSALITY JUDGMENTS - THE ROLE OF MANNER OF INFORMATION PRESENTATION

College students rated the causal efficacy of elements X, A, and B of food compounds AX and BX in producing the allergic reaction of a hypot hetical patient. Causal ratings were made for each food after subjects received all of the results of a 16-day allergy test. With both seria l and simultaneous presentation of information, ratings of distinctive elements A and B diverged and ratings of common element X decreased a s the difference between the correlation of AX and BX with the allergi c reaction increased. These human diagnostic judgments closely corresp ond with stimulus selection effects observed in the conditioned respon ses of animals in associative learning studies.