Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Perceptual learning after rapidly alternating exposure to taste compounds: Assessment with different indices of generalization.
We examined in male rats (N = 126) the impact of rapid alternation to AX and BX on generalization of a taste aversion from BX to AX. Experiment 1 showed that such alternating presentations (with 5-min intervals between AX and BX) reduced generalization relative to blocked exposure; but only as assessed by consumption levels and not by lick cluster size (an index of hedonic reactions). Experiment 1 also showed that the nature of exposure did not affect how A influenced performance to a novel conditioned taste, Y. Experiment 2 replicated the pattern of results involving the different influences of rapidly alternating and blo...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - July 25, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

The learning curve, revisited.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, Vol 48(4), Oct 2022, 265-280; doi:10.1037/xan0000331The nature of the operations that support learning should be evident in the form or shape of the learning curve. For example, models that describe learning as an iterative error-correction process expect that the amount learned on each trial follows a decelerating (negatively inflected) function. That prediction is broadly consistent with the shape of the acquisition and extinction curves derived from mean measures of response strength. However, such evidence can be flawed because group means may not accur...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 30, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

The learning curve, revisited.
The nature of the operations that support learning should be evident in the form or shape of the learning curve. For example, models that describe learning as an iterative error-correction process expect that the amount learned on each trial follows a decelerating (negatively inflected) function. That prediction is broadly consistent with the shape of the acquisition and extinction curves derived from mean measures of response strength. However, such evidence can be flawed because group means may not accurately portray the response curves of individual subjects in a conditioning experiment. Moreover, such evidence relies o...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 30, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to influence decision criterion in a target detection paradigm.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, Vol 48(4), Oct 2022, 383-395; doi:10.1037/xan0000329In this article we investigate how a psychological theory used to model perceptual learning and face recognition can be used to predict that anodal tDCS delivered over the DLPFC at Fp3 site (for 10 mins duration at 1.5 mA intensity) modulates the decision criterion, C, (and not d-prime [d′]) in a target detection task. In two between-subjects and double-blind experiments (n = 112) we examined the tDCS effects on C when subjects were engaged in a target detection task, in the first instance involving arti...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 23, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to influence decision criterion in a target detection paradigm.
In this article we investigate how a psychological theory used to model perceptual learning and face recognition can be used to predict that anodal tDCS delivered over the DLPFC at Fp3 site (for 10 mins duration at 1.5 mA intensity) modulates the decision criterion, C, (and not d-prime [d′]) in a target detection task. In two between-subjects and double-blind experiments (n = 112) we examined the tDCS effects on C when subjects were engaged in a target detection task, in the first instance involving artificial checkerboard stimuli (Experiment 1a), and subsequently face stimuli (Experiment 1b). The results from both exper...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 23, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

A response function that maps associative strengths to probabilities.
Bridging associative and normative theories of animal learning, I show that an associative system can behave as if performing probabilistic inference by using the function f(V) = 1 − e−cV to transform associative strengths (V) into response probabilities. For example, using this function, an associative system can respond normatively to a compound stimulus AB, given previous separate experiences with the components A and B. The CR probability formulae that result from the proposed function have a normative interpretation in terms of statistical decision theory. The formulae also suggest a normative interpretation of st...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 6, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

Reversal of inhibition by no-modulation training but not by extinction in human causal learning.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, Vol 48(4), Oct 2022, 336-348; doi:10.1037/xan0000328One of the many strengths of the Rescorla and Wagner (1972) model is that it accounts for both excitatory and inhibitory learning using a single error-correction mechanism. However, it makes the counterintuitive prediction that nonreinforced presentations of an inhibitory stimulus will lead to extinction of its inhibitory properties. Zimmer-Hart and Rescorla (1974) provided the first of several animal conditioning studies that contradicted this prediction. However, the human data are more mixed. Accordingl...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 2, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

Reversal of inhibition by no-modulation training but not by extinction in human causal learning.
One of the many strengths of the Rescorla and Wagner (1972) model is that it accounts for both excitatory and inhibitory learning using a single error-correction mechanism. However, it makes the counterintuitive prediction that nonreinforced presentations of an inhibitory stimulus will lead to extinction of its inhibitory properties. Zimmer-Hart and Rescorla (1974) provided the first of several animal conditioning studies that contradicted this prediction. However, the human data are more mixed. Accordingly, we set out to test whether extinction of an inhibitor occurs in human causal learning after simultaneous feature neg...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - June 2, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

Extinction of conditioned flavor preferences.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, Vol 48(4), Oct 2022, 349-357; doi:10.1037/xan0000326Although noted as a proponent of associative learning theory, Bob Rescorla acknowledged that other mechanisms might be responsible for the within-event learning produced when two stimuli co-occur. To investigate this possibility, he conducted experiments in which rats experienced a compound of a novel flavor and a palatable nutrient, and demonstrated that a preference for the flavor established by this training did not show the pattern of extinction that might be expected of a preference based on a flavor-...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - May 19, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

Extinction of conditioned flavor preferences.
Although noted as a proponent of associative learning theory, Bob Rescorla acknowledged that other mechanisms might be responsible for the within-event learning produced when two stimuli co-occur. To investigate this possibility, he conducted experiments in which rats experienced a compound of a novel flavor and a palatable nutrient, and demonstrated that a preference for the flavor established by this training did not show the pattern of extinction that might be expected of a preference based on a flavor-nutrient association. A review is presented of subsequent work on the extinction of such conditioned flavor preferences...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - May 19, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research

"Can we study episodic-like memory in preschoolers from an animal foraging model": Correction.
Reports an error in "Can we study episodic-like memory in preschoolers from an animal foraging model" by Javier Vila, Eneida Strempler-Rubio and Angélica Alvarado (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 2021[Jul], Vol 47[3], 357-363). In the original article, a repeated measure analysis of variance was calculated with incorrect numerator and denominator degrees of freedom, which resulted in incorrect F, MSE, and R² values being reported in the Results section. When calculated correctly, the significant differences found in the new analysis of variance were the same as before. The results and c...
Source: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes - May 19, 2022 Category: Zoology Source Type: research