A NEW METHODOLOGICAL REVISION OF EKMAN'S CONTENT MODEL OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL SIMILARITY ANALYSIS

Abstract

A new methodological revision to Ekman's content model of multi- dimensional similarity analysis is proposed. Whereas Ekman factor analyzes matrices of mean similarity estimates, the Stone-Coles revision involves the factor analysis of correlational similarities obtained by intercorrelating all column vectors of an Ekman mean similarity matrix. The method proposed solves certain mathematical objections to the Ekman model. 14 investigations of multidimensional similarity conducted by Ekman and his associates were reanalyzed from the Stone-Coles correlational similarity approach. A compari- son of the results indicate that this new methodological construct yields interpretable factorial descriptions of the judged similarity of stimulus-objects which are more meaningful and more parsimonious than the results yielded by the Elanan methodology.