Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 13, 2026

A Flexible Platform for Monitoring Cerebellum-Dependent Sensory Associative Learning
Published on: January 19, 2022
Flexible Configural Learning of Non-Linear Discriminations and Detection of Stimulus Compounds
Steven Glautier1, Tamaryn Menneer1, Hayward J Godwin1
11 Department of Psychology, Southampton University, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Previous work showed that prior experience with discriminations requiring configural solutions (e.g., biconditional discrimination) confers an advantage for the learning of new configural discriminations (e.g., negative patterning) in comparison to prior experience with elemental discriminations. This effect is well established but its mechanism is not well understood. In the studies described below we assessed whether the saliences of configural and element cues were affected by prior training. We observed positive transfer to a new configural discrimination after configural pre-training but we were unable to find evidence for changes in cue salience using a signal-detection task. Our results confirm previous work by demonstrating experience-dependent flexibility in cue processing but they also suggest that this flexibility occurs at a point in the stimulus processing pipeline later than 1-2 s after the presentation of stimulus inputs. (138 words).
Related Concept Videos
Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction
Generalization occurs when a behavior reinforced in one context is performed in similar situations. For instance, a student who studies diligently for calculus and receives excellent grades might apply the same study habits to psychology and history, expecting similar results. Generalization shows how learning in one setting can influence behavior in...
Multi-input and Multi-variable systems
In the absence of...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Inductive Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...

