Compatibility of gain control and power law representations --- a János Aczél connection (Q1592808)

The detection of probabilities in sensory psychology is represented by the gain control equation: \[ P(x,y)=F[(u(x)-g(y))/h(x)]; \] \(x\), \(y\) are positive real numbers denoting the ratio scale values of physical energies, \(P(x,y)\) is the probability of the detecting stimulus \(x\) over the background \(y\), \(u,g,h\) and \(F\) are real valued continuous, strictly increasing functions. The detection phenomenon is empirically investigated using a function \(\mu(x,\rho)\); \(P(x,y)\) must satisfy: \(\mu(x,P(x,y))=y\); as a model the function \[ \mu(x,\varrho)= x^{\zeta(\rho)} K(\rho) \] in which \(\zeta\) and \(K\) are nonconstant functions of \(\varrho\) is considered (the power law representation). The consistency of these gain control and power law representations is studied. The main result is that, under some conditions, if the gain control and the power law representations jointly hold, \(P(x,y)\) takes necessarily the form \(P(x,y)= F[\alpha-((\gamma \ln y -\theta)/(\ln x +\sigma))^\beta]\); the form of \(F\) is arbitrary.