Effects of visual and tactual stimulus presentation on learning two-choice patterned and semirandom sequences.

Abstract

Three experiments compared the effects of visual and tactual stimulus presentation in two-choice sequential learning situations requiring a predictive response. In Experiments 1 and 2, subjects received a five-or six-unit repeating pattern; in Experiment 3, they received a semirandom sequence. Tactual as compared to visual stimulus presentation resulted in less trials to criterion in predicting a repeating pattern and in earlier frequency matching in predicting a semirandom sequence. These results suggest an unusual tactual adeptness in binary serial learning. Additionally, a new method of analyzing conditional responding in the probability learning paradigm is described and applied to the data in Experiment 3.

Modality-Constrained Statistical Learning of Tactile, Visual, and Auditory Sequences.

“…Likewise, studies of temporal pattern and rhythm discrimination also reveal modality differences (e.g., Collier & Logan, 2000;Garner & Gottwald, 1968;Glenberg & Jona, 1991;Handel & Buffardi, 1969;Manning, Pasquali, & Smith, 1975;Rubinstein & Gruenberg, 1971). When presented with rhythmic patterns of flashing lights or auditory stimuli, participants were much better at discriminating auditory as opposed to visual patterns (Rubinstein & Gruenberg, 1971).…”

“…Vision may be more sensitive to initial items in a list (Beaman, 2002), whereas audition appears more sensitive to final list items (Crowder, 1986). Second, the auditory modality appears to have an advantage in the processing of sequential input, including low-level temporal processing tasks (Sherrick & Cholewiak, 1986) and pattern or rhythm discrimination (e.g., Manning et al, 1975). In a comprehensive review of the effect of modality on cognitive processing, Freides (1974) concluded that for complex tasks, audition is best suited for temporal processing, whereas vision excels at spatial tasks (for similar views, see also Kubovy, 1988;Mahar et al, 1994;Penney, 1989;Saffran, 2002).…”

More on modality effects and the lack of them in the absence of sound

“…In another experiment, also reported in Manning et al (1975), we found that tactually presented lateralized stimuli led to faster asymptotic probability matching than did visually presented lateralized stimuli.…”

“…First, they are the only results that seem to show recency in this modality. Second, they appear to be part of the small group of tactual tasks for which performance is better or the same as in the visual modality (e.g., Handel & Buffardi, 1968Manning, 1977Manning, , 1978Manning et al, 1975).…”

Printout

“…The purpose of this note is to announce the availability of an expository paper reviewing some combinatorial problems connected with the partitioning of sets of linear sequences on the basis of rotational equivalence (e.g., abc is equivalent ot bca and to cab). Interest in this problem aroused experimental work involving repeating serial patterns in different domains (e.g., Manning, Pasquali, & Smith, 1975;Vitz & Todd, 1969) and research illustrating the usefulness of studying the psychological equivalence of rotationally equivalent patterns (Handel, 1974).…”