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Contingency learning with evaluative stimuli: testing the generality of contingency learning in a performance
James R Schmidt1, Jan De Houwer
1Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. james.schmidt@ugent.be
Experimental Psychology
|March 14, 2012
Summary
This study shows that implicit learning of color-word contingencies influences both performance and liking, even without conscious awareness. These findings advance understanding of contingency learning and evaluative conditioning.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Learning and Memory
Background:
- Contingency learning paradigms investigate how associations are formed between stimuli and outcomes.
- Previous research has focused on explicit awareness of contingencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the generality of learning effects in a color-word contingency learning paradigm.
- To examine whether contingency learning influences both performance and explicit liking.
- To investigate the role of awareness in these learning effects.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed speeded evaluative judgments on valenced words paired with nonwords under specific contingencies.
- A subsequent explicit rating task assessed liking for the nonwords.
- Contingency awareness was measured objectively and subjectively.
Main Results:
- Faster responses were observed on trials respecting contingencies compared to those that contradicted them.
- Positively-conditioned nonwords were rated more favorably than negatively-conditioned nonwords.
- Learning effects persisted regardless of contingency awareness.
Conclusions:
- Contingency learning in performance tasks extends to nonword-valence associations and different response types.
- Implicit learning processes significantly influence evaluative judgments and liking.
- Findings have implications for theories of contingency learning and evaluative conditioning.
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