Memory and the Psychophysical Function

The form of the psychophysical function can be accounted for by assuming an imperfect memory. A theoretical exposition of the subject is presented, and three memory components are isolated experimentally. Those components are memory for (1) amplitude, (2) starting time and duration, and (3) frequency and phase. An equation is presented which leads to consistency between predictions of the signal detectability and empirical results for the form of the psychophysical function. (This work was sponsored by the U. S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.)