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cognition
Comparing two things takes longer when they are similar.
You identify which of two numbers is larger faster if the distance between them is greater.
Your brain processes mental comparisons as if they are physical distances. When the numbers are close, the mental effort to differentiate them significantly increases.
You perceive the world through relative rather than absolute scales.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Moyer & Landauer, 1967
- What the check found
- This is a well-established cognitive psychology finding correctly attributed to Moyer and Landauer (1967). The absence of a quote is due to the lack of relevant primary source material provided.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.