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What is coded into memory in the absence of outcome feedback?
Maria P Henriksson1, Ebba Elwin, Peter Juslin
1Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Sweden. maria.henriksson@psyk.uu.se
Summary
People often learn with limited feedback. This study shows that when no outcome is given, individuals assume the most probable outcome, influencing future decisions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Making
- Machine Learning
Background:
- Learning often occurs with scarce and selective outcome feedback.
- Models of learning and decision-making have overlooked how nonfeedback trials are represented in memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive representation of nonfeedback trials in learning.
- To test hypotheses regarding the coding of nonfeedback trials using the generalized context model.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the generalized context model (Nosofsky, 1986) to analyze learning data.
- Conducted three experiments involving selective decision-contingent and outcome-contingent feedback.
Main Results:
- Data supported the constructivist coding hypothesis.
- Individuals code nonfeedback trials with the most likely inferred outcome.
Conclusions:
- Constructivist coding, where individuals infer and code the most likely outcome on nonfeedback trials, is supported by empirical data.
- This coding strategy has implications for understanding judgment and decision-making in environments with limited feedback.
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