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Overcoming Pavlovian bias in semantic space
Sam Ereira1,2, Marine Pujol3,4, Marc Guitart-Masip3,5
1Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, UCL, London, WC1B 5EH, UK. samuel.ereira.14@ucl.ac.uk.
Scientific Reports
|February 10, 2021
Summary
Pavlovian bias, a common learning heuristic, is generally resistant to unlearning. However, training in a verbal semantic space can diminish this bias, suggesting specific conditions for overcoming learned behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Behavioral Psychology
Background:
- Pavlovian bias influences action based on reward or punishment cues.
- This bias, while adaptive, is linked to maladaptive behaviors like addiction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if Pavlovian bias can be overcome through training.
- To identify conditions under which Pavlovian bias is susceptible to change.
Main Methods:
- Five experiments were conducted to test unlearning Pavlovian bias.
- Subjects engaged in instrumental learning in either a verbal semantic or motoric space.
Main Results:
- Pavlovian bias proved resistant to unlearning in most task setups.
- Training in a verbal semantic space led to a reduction in Pavlovian bias.
- Learning in the semantic space was necessary but not sufficient for unlearning.
Conclusions:
- Pavlovian bias is robust but can be modified under specific learning conditions.
- Verbal semantic learning, gamification, and spaced stimulus presentation may facilitate unlearning.
- Understanding these conditions is crucial for addressing maladaptive behaviors linked to Pavlovian bias.
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