Visual consequent stimulus complexity affects performance in audiovisual associative learning

Abstract

In associative learning (AL), cues and/or outcome events are coupled together. AL is typically tested in visual learning paradigms. Recently, our group developed various AL tests based on the Rutgers Acquired Equivalence Test (RAET), both visual and audiovisual, keeping the structure and logic of RAET but with different stimuli. In this study, 55 volunteers were tested in two of our audiovisual tests, SoundFace (SF) and SoundPolygon (SP). The antecedent stimuli in both tests are sounds, and the consequent stimuli are images. The consequents in SF are cartoon faces, while in SP, they are simple geometric shapes. The aim was to test how the complexity of the applied consequent stimuli influences performance regarding the various aspects of learning the tests assess (stimulus pair learning, retrieval, and generalization of the previously learned associations to new but predictable stimulus pairs). In SP, behavioral performance was significantly poorer than in SF, and the reaction times were significantly longer, for all phases of the test. The results suggest that audiovisual associative learning is significantly influenced by the complexity of the consequent stimuli.

Enhanced audiovisual associative pair learning in migraine without aura in adult patients: An unexpected finding

“…The test returned significant results for NAT and ALER, which prompted us to perform pairwise comparisons. The pairwise comparisons clearly indicated significant difference in both parameters between the performance of the study populations of the studies by Tót et al (31) and Eördegh et al (18). At the same time, there was no significant difference in the said parameters between the study population of Eördegh et al (18) and the control group of the current study.…”

“…While these observations appear to support the authenticity of the effect, we initially harbored concerns that it could be an artifact, potentially due to what we suspected might be anomalously low performance in the control group. These concerns were prompted by an analysis of results from a prior study we conducted with a healthy adult cohort (N = 55, mean age: 31.36 years) using SFT (31). In that study, the performance of the subjects closely paralleled that of the patient group of the current study.…”

Low-Dose Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Arbitrary Visuomotor Mapping in Monkeys

“…Associative learning allows us to associate different sensory stimuli or cues with appropriate behavioral responses (Tot et al, 2022), which is crucial for learning both concrete and abstract "rules of the game" (McGann, 2015).…”

“…Cognitive control is defined as the ability to acquire and implement the “rules of the game” necessary to achieve a given goal in a specific situation ( Miller and Cohen, 2001 ), which is essential for flexible intended behaviors in primates. Associative learning allows us to associate different sensory stimuli or cues with appropriate behavioral responses ( Tót et al, 2022 ), which is crucial for learning both concrete and abstract “rules of the game” ( McGann, 2015 ). Arbitrary visuomotor mapping (AVM) is a specific form of associative learning that maps visual cues to corresponding motor responses ( Murray et al, 2000 ), such as the green traffic light allowing road crossing while the red one forbids it.…”

“…The flexibility of AVM enables primates to quickly learn and exploit useful contingency rules, facilitating context-dependent adaptive behavior in complex environments ( Mansouri et al, 2020 ). The execution of learned mapping rules and acquisition of new rules through learning in AVM depend heavily on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and interactions between the PFC and other areas, such as the premotor cortex and hippocampus ( Murray et al, 2000 ; Puig et al, 2014 ; Gruart et al, 2015 ; Nakahara et al, 2016 ; Mansouri et al, 2020 ; K Namboodiri and Stuber, 2021 ; Tót et al, 2022 ). Additionally, NMDARs play a critical role in connecting physiological changes occurring at synapses to the acquisition of AVM ( Gruart et al, 2015 ).…”