The multimethod-multitrait matrix applied to the study of sensitivity

The psychophysic scaling has several sensitivity mesaurements that have bee n classified in different groups as, i.e. those that derived of the Stevens model. Previous researchs (Villarino, Garriga-Trillo & Rodriguez-Minion, 1 992; Villarino & Garriga-Trillo, 1995) have compared these measurement of s ensitivity and have found high correlations in the measures derived of Stev ens model, but low correlations when another models are considered (Signal Detection Theory and Information Theory). These results could suggest that these measurements do not measure the same. The main objective of present w ork is to approach study of reliability and validity of Stevens's exponent as measurement of sensitivity through multimethod-multitrait matrix. Though this procedure has been used for validation of psychological tests, it nev er has been applied in the psychophysic field. In this investigation area, the application of this procedure involve the evaluation of different senso ry kind (view-sight, hearing, touch-tact, etc.) or, in our case, estimation of several dimensions (length, area, brightness, etc.) through different p rocedures of data obtaining (absolute magnitude estimation, and magnitude e stimation with several standard stimuli).