Advanced analysis of quantum contextuality in a psychophysical double-detection experiment

Publication date: Available online 8 April 2017 Source:Journal of Mathematical Psychology Author(s): Víctor H. Cervantes, Ehtibar N. Dzhafarov The results of behavioral experiments typically exhibit inconsistent connectedness, i.e., they violate the condition known as “no-signaling,” “no-disturbance,” or “marginal selectivity.” This prevents one from evaluating these experiments in terms of quantum contextuality if the latter understood traditionally (as, e.g., in the Kochen–Specker theorem or Bell-type inequalities). The Contextuality-by-Default (CbD) theory separates contextuality from inconsistent connectedness. When applied to quantum physical experiments that exhibit inconsistent connectedness (due to context-dependent errors and/or signaling), the CbD computations reveal quantum contextuality in spite of this. When applied to a large body of published behavioral experiments, the CbD computations reveal no quantum contextuality: all context-dependence in these experiments is described by inconsistent connectedness alone. Until recently, however, experimental analysis of contextuality was confined to so-called cyclic systems of binary random variables. Here, we present the results of a psychophysical double-detection experiment that do not form a cyclic system: their analysis requires that we use a recent modification of CbD, one that makes the class of noncontextual systems more restricted. Nevertheless our results once again indicate that when inconsi...

Source: Journal of Mathematical Psychology - April 10, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research