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Is evaluative conditioning really resistant to extinction? Evidence for changes in evaluative judgements without
Bertram Gawronski1, Anne Gast, Jan De Houwer
1a Department of Psychology , University of Western Ontario , London , ON , Canada.
Cognition & Emotion
|August 19, 2014
Summary
Evaluative conditioning (EC) effects diminish with unreinforced conditioned stimulus (CS) presentations when participants rate the CS. This suggests judgement processes, not true changes in evaluation, underlie reduced EC effects.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Evaluative conditioning (EC) involves changing evaluations of a conditioned stimulus (CS) through pairing with an unconditioned stimulus (US).
- Previous research on EC extinction has yielded mixed results, indicating potential moderating conditions.
- A recent meta-analysis highlighted reduced EC effects post-extinction compared to post-acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the conditions influencing the extinction of EC effects.
- To examine the impact of unreinforced CS presentations on EC following different CS-US pairing types.
- To differentiate between genuine changes in evaluative representations and judgement-related processes.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments (N=784) examined EC under varying conditions of CS-US pairings (simultaneous, sequential, single US, multiple USs).
- Unreinforced CS presentations were introduced post-acquisition.
- Evaluations were measured using self-report and an evaluative priming task.
Main Results:
- EC effects on self-reported evaluations were reduced by unreinforced CS presentations, but only when ratings occurred after initial CS-US pairings.
- EC effects measured by evaluative priming remained unaffected by unreinforced CS presentations, irrespective of post-acquisition rating.
- Reduced EC effects were observed across all four CS-US pairing types under specific rating conditions.
Conclusions:
- Unreinforced CS presentations reduce EC effects on self-reported evaluations, suggesting a role for judgement processes.
- The findings indicate that verbal expression of evaluations, rather than changes in underlying representations, accounts for reduced EC.
- The study clarifies conditions under which EC extinction occurs, distinguishing between implicit and explicit measures.
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