Advanced Analysis of Quantum Contextuality in a Psychophysical Double-Detection Experiment

TL;DR

This paper applies an advanced version of the Contextuality-by-Default theory to a psychophysical double-detection experiment, demonstrating that when accounting for inconsistent connectedness, the system shows no quantum contextuality, aligning with prior behavioral studies.

Contribution

It extends CbD analysis to non-cyclic systems in psychophysics, showing no contextuality when inconsistent connectedness is properly considered.

Findings

No quantum contextuality detected in the psychophysical experiment.

Inconsistent connectedness explains all observed context-dependence.

Extension of CbD to non-cyclic systems is feasible and effective.

Abstract

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 inconsistent connectedness is taken into account, the system exhibits no contextuality. KEYWORDS: contextuality, cyclic systems, double-detection, inconsistent connectedness, psychophysics.