Configural and elemental strategies in predictive learning.

Williams, Douglas A.; Sagness, Kerry E.; McPhee, Janice E.

doi:10.1037//0278-7393.20.3.694

Cited by 4 publications

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“…First, the use of different geometrical shapes and the pseudo-random alternation between left and right positions of the cues might have promoted elemental processing of the cues. Some accounts of facilitation rely on the engagement of configural processing (Herrera et al, 2022 ; Urcelay & Miller, 2009 ), whereas our protocol, which perceptually presents the two cues side by side but separated by a space, may have promoted elemental processing of the cues and thus favored cue competition (Williams et al, 1994 ), resulting in an overshadowing effect across the contiguity manipulations. Flexible (i.e., elemental and configural) encoding has been proposed as one critical determinant of competition or facilitation (Urcelay & Miller, 2009 ), and importantly the type of encoding strategy used presumably depends on several different variables and parameters (see Melchers et al, 2008 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Flexible (i.e., elemental and configural) encoding has been proposed as one critical determinant of competition or facilitation (Urcelay & Miller, 2009 ), and importantly the type of encoding strategy used presumably depends on several different variables and parameters (see Melchers et al, 2008 ). For instance, pre-training manipulations that encourage configural processing appear to eliminate overshadowing in animals (Urcelay & Miller, 2009 ), and also reduce blocking in humans (e.g., Williams et al, 1994 , Experiment 4 ). Similarly, pre-training on a discrimination that requires a configural solution facilitates patterning discrimination or biconditional discrimination, in which configural processing is critical to learn the new discrimination (Mehta & Russell, 2009 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, pre-training on a discrimination that requires a configural solution facilitates patterning discrimination or biconditional discrimination, in which configural processing is critical to learn the new discrimination (Mehta & Russell, 2009 ). Conversely, pre-training (with different cues) that promotes elemental encoding of the stimuli facilitates blocking (William et al, 1994 ). Another variable that may determine how stimuli are processed is the spatial distance between them in the layout, resulting in differences in cue-competition phenomena.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that cue-competition phenomena have received a vast amount of attention in the learning literature, it is not surprising that previous research has revealed several variables and parameters that modulate whether competition or facilitation between cues is observed. In addition to temporal contiguity, there are other variables affecting competition such as contingency (Urcelay & Miller, 2006 ; Urushihara & Miller, 2007 ), relative stimulus duration (Sissons et al, 2009 ), configural versus elemental encoding of the cues (Williams & Braker, 1999 ; Williams et al, 1994 ; also see Melchers et al, 2008 ), number of trials and inter-stimulus interval (Bellingham & Gillette, 1981 ; Stout et al, 2003a ; Stout et al, 2003b ), the framing of the test question (Pineño et al, 2005 ), and the presence of a secondary task (De Houwer & Beckers, 2003 ), to cite just a few factors. For instance, Vadillo and Matute ( 2010 , 2011 ) found that time pressure on participants’ responding, which presumably increases task demands, is a critical factor in determining competition or facilitation in a blocking design.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contiguity and overshadowing interactions in the rapid-streaming procedure

et al. 2023

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When multiple cues are associated with the same outcome, organisms tend to select between the cues, with one revealing greater behavioral control at the expense of the others (i.e., cue competition). However, non-human and human studies have not always observed this competition, creating a puzzling scenario in which the interaction between cues can result in competition, no interaction, or facilitation as a function of several learning parameters. In five experiments, we assessed whether temporal contiguity and overshadowing effects are reliably observed in the streamed-trial procedure, and whether there was an interaction between them. We anticipated that weakening temporal contiguity (ranging from 500 to 1,000 ms) should attenuate competition. Using within-subject designs, participants experienced independent series of rapid streams in which they had to learn the relationship between visual cues (presented either alone or with another cue) and an outcome, with the cue-outcome pairings being presented with either a delay or trace relationship. Across experiments, we observed overshadowing (Experiments 1, 2, 4, and 5) and temporal contiguity effects (Experiments 2, 3, and 4). Despite the frequent occurrence of both effects, we did not find that trace conditioning abolished competition between cues. Overall, these results suggest that the extent to which contiguity determines cue interactions depends on multiple variables, some of which we address in the General discussion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contiguity and overshadowing interactions in the rapid-streaming procedure

et al. 2023

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Novelty and conflict in the categorization of complex stimuli

2008

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We manipulated categorical typicality and the presence of conflicting information as participants categorized multifeatured artificial animals. In Experiment 1, rule-irrelevant features were correlated with particular categories during training. In the test phase, participants applied a one-dimensional rule to stimuli with rule-irrelevant features that were category-congruent, category-incongruent, or novel. Category-incongruent and novel features delayed RT and P3 latency, but had no effect on the N2. Experiment 2 used a two-dimensional rule to create conflict between rule-relevant features. Conflict resulted in prolonged RTs and larger amplitudes of a prefrontal positive component, but had no impact on the N2. Stimuli with novel features did elicit a larger N2 than those with frequent features. These results suggest limitations on the generality of the N2′s sensitivity to conflicting information while confirming its sensitivity to attended visual novelty. KeywordsN2; N200; Event-related potentials; Conflict; Rule; P300 latencyThe study of perceptual categorization has long been concerned with the effects of typicality, selective attention to an object's features, and the need to suppress the influence of features suggesting the incorrect category (Allen & Brooks, 1991;Nosofsky, 1986;Regehr & Brooks, 1993;Rosch & Mervis, 1975;Smith, Patalano, & Jonides, 1998). The current study focuses on the influences of typicality and conflicting information during visual categorization and explores the degree to which ERP measures will reflect and perhaps help tease apart these two factors.For natural categories, typical exemplars (e.g., SPARROWas a type of bird) elicit faster verification responses than atypical exemplars (e.g., CHICKEN). Typicality can be thought of as the extent to which an item overlaps with the central tendency of a category or the amount of positive evidence supporting the assignment of an item to a category. Category verification times are also influenced by the presence of conflicting information or the amount of evidence suggesting assignment to the wrong category. For natural categories, this is most easily seen in prolonged RTs to reject items that share features with a target category but are not in fact members (as in rejecting BATas a type of bird; Heinze, Münte, & Kutas, 1998;McCloskey & Glucksberg, 1979). Despite these examples, it is fairly difficult to tease apart the influences of typicality and conflicting information, particularly for trials that receive the same response. For instance, as compared to sparrows, chickens are poor birds because they lack some common Address reprint requests to: Jonathan Folstein, Psychology Department, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA. E-mail: jonathan.r.folstein@vanderbilt.edu. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptPsychophysiology. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2009 April 1. Published in final edited form as:Psychophysiology. 2008 April ; 45(3): 467-479. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Aut...

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Learning: From Association to Cognition

Shanks

2010

Annu. Rev. Psychol.

214

169

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Since the very earliest experimental investigations of learning, tension has existed between association-based and cognitive theories. Associationism accounts for the phenomena of both conditioning and "higher" forms of learning via concepts such as excitation, inhibition, and reinforcement, whereas cognitive theories assume that learning depends on hypothesis testing, cognitive models, and propositional reasoning. Cognitive theories have received considerable impetus in regard to both human and animal learning from recent research suggesting that the key illustration of cue selection in learning, blocking, often arises from inferential reasoning. At the same time, a dichotomous view that separates noncognitive, unconscious (implicit) learning from cognitive, conscious (explicit) learning has gained favor. This review selectively describes key findings from this research, evaluates evidence for and against associative and cognitive explanatory constructs, and critically examines both the dichotomous view of learning as well as the claim that learning can occur unconsciously.

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Configural and elemental strategies in predictive learning.

Cited by 4 publications

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Contiguity and overshadowing interactions in the rapid-streaming procedure

Contiguity and overshadowing interactions in the rapid-streaming procedure

Novelty and conflict in the categorization of complex stimuli

Learning: From Association to Cognition

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