Competition

Competition

The activation of multiple but incompatible cues is competition, which affects language processing and other fast-time processes. Luce’s rule provides a general solution to which cue wins for a given choice, the one with highest strength relative to the strength of all cues present. The Competition Model (MacWhinney) provides an accounts of cue refinement, based on notions of cue validity (which in PSLC terms is feature validity) and cue strength (a construct referring to knowledge components). These forces operate in processing through a system of cue competition. ACT-R allows similar descriptions.