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Dissociations between Learning Phenomena do Not Necessitate Multiple Learning Processes: Mere Instructions about
Jan De Houwer1, Simone Mattavelli1, Pieter Van Dessel1
1Ghent University, BE.
This study suggests that both expectancy learning and evaluative conditioning stem from a single propositional learning mechanism. Different beliefs about stimulus co-occurrences and contingency explain the observed differences in learning outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Associative Learning
Background:
- Prior research indicates statistical contingency influences expectancy learning but not evaluative conditioning.
- This dissociation is often explained by dual process models of associative learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test an alternative single-process propositional learning account for both expectancy and evaluative learning.
- To differentiate between beliefs about stimulus co-occurrences and stimulus contingency.
Main Methods:
- Participants received instructions regarding stimulus co-occurrence and individual stimulus presentations.
- Evaluative and expectancy ratings were collected.
Main Results:
- Evaluative ratings were solely influenced by co-occurrence instructions (positive/negative stimulus pairing).
- Expectancy ratings were affected by both co-occurrence and individual stimulus presentation instructions.
Conclusions:
- Findings support a unified propositional learning mechanism for both types of associative learning.
- Distinctions in learning arise from different types of propositional beliefs held by individuals.
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