Observational evaluative conditioning of an embedded stimulus element

Abstract

Evaluative conditioning refers to the observation that the mere pairedpresentation of a neutral stimulus (CS) with a liked or disliked stimulus (US) may result in the neutral

Demonstrator skill modulates observational aversive learning

“…In EC, the preference for a stimulus, the CS, is changed due to pairing with another liked or disliked stimulus, the US (Hofmann, De Houwer, Perugini, Baeyens, & Crombez, 2010). It has also been shown that such changes in preferences can occur following observation of another individual exposed to the CS-US contingency and expressing liking or disliking the US (Baeyens, Kaes, Eelen, & Silverans, 1996;Baeyens, Vansteenwegen, De Houwer, & Crombez, 1996). However, EC lies beyond the scope of this thesis and will therefore not be discussed further.…”

One man's meat is another man's poison

“…These modelling effects have also been observed in humans. In one study, children drank different flavours of new drinks while watching a video of a model expressing a like or dislike of the same drink (Baeyens et al , 1996). The children were found to prefer the flavour that the model had liked.…”

Extinction in fear conditioning: Effects on startle modulation and evaluative self-reports

“…Unreinforced CS presentations, after acquisition, do not affect the acquired CS valence, whereas conditioned skin conductance responses generally disappear after a sequence of CS-alone presentations~Öhman, 1983!. This phenomenon is especially true when the electrodes for delivery of the US are removed and the participants are instructed that there will be no more USs~Hugdahl & Öhman, 1977!. A second argument was that explicit verbal knowledge of the CS-US contingency or contingency awareness does not seem to be required for evaluative conditioning~Baeyens, Eelen, & Van den Bergh, 1990;Baeyens, Kaes, Eelen, & Silverans, 1996;Baeyens, Wrzesniewski, et al, 1996;Hammerl & Grabitz, 1996!. This argument is in sharp contrast with what is observed in conditioning of orienting0preparatory responses: for example Dawson and Schell 1987!…”