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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Neural Mechanisms Through Automated Evaluation of Motor Learning and Myelin Plasticity Studies Using the Erasmus Ladder
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Unconscious associative learning with conscious cues.

Andrea Alamia1, Jean-Jacques Orban de Xivry1,2, Estibaliz San Anton3

  • 1Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.

Neuroscience of Consciousness
|November 7, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Simple associations between colors and motion directions can be learned unconsciously. This study confirms unconscious learning of stimulus-response and stimulus-stimulus associations, offering a new framework for implicit learning research.

Keywords:
Unconscious learningconsciousnessimplicit learningmotion discriminationreinforcement learning

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Implicit Learning

Background:

  • The existence of unconscious learning in humans is a long-standing debate in cognitive psychology.
  • Assessing awareness of learned associations in implicit learning paradigms presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether simple associations between supraliminal stimulus features can be learned unconsciously.
  • To explore the role of trial-by-trial feedback in unconscious learning.
  • To determine if both stimulus-response and stimulus-stimulus associations are learned implicitly.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed a task reporting motion direction of colored dots.
  • Unbeknownst to participants, specific colors were consistently associated with particular motion directions.
  • Awareness was rigorously assessed using multiple tasks meeting stringent criteria.

Main Results:

  • Simple associations between colors and motion directions were learned unconsciously.
  • The study confirmed the lack of awareness regarding these learned associations.
  • Trial-by-trial feedback was found to be crucial for this type of unconscious learning.
  • Both stimulus-response (motor) and stimulus-stimulus (perceptual) associations were acquired implicitly.

Conclusions:

  • Simple associations between perceptible stimulus features can indeed be learned unconsciously.
  • This research provides a novel framework and methodology for studying unconscious learning processes.
  • The findings contribute to resolving the debate surrounding the existence and mechanisms of implicit learning.