Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2025
11:09
RBDT: A Computerized Task System based in Transposition for the Continuous Analysis of Relational Behavior Dynamics in Humans
Published on: July 17, 2021
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Chained study and the discovery of relational structure.
1Department of Psychological Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Colvard South Building, UNC Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA. dmarkant@uncc.edu.
Memory & Cognition
|July 16, 2021
Summary
Chained training sequences help people spontaneously discover relational structure in transitive inference (TI) tasks. Observing these sequences, rather than generating them, most effectively enhances learning and awareness of underlying relationships.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Learning and Memory
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Prior knowledge of relational structure aids rapid sense-making and response to new experiences.
- The mechanisms and triggers for spontaneous discovery of relational schemas, when not essential for immediate learning, remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the determinants of spontaneous relational schema discovery in discrimination-based transitive inference (TI).
- To examine whether experiencing "chained" sequences of overlapping premises during training facilitates the discovery of underlying relational structure.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent discrimination-based transitive inference (TI) training with varying sequences of interrelated premises.
- The study compared the effects of experiencing "chained" versus self-generated training sequences on relational learning and awareness.
Main Results:
- Experiencing chained training sequences significantly improved relational learning in individuals without prior knowledge of the hierarchy.
- Chaining was most effective in promoting explicit awareness of the underlying relations between items.
- Observing chained training sequences was more effective for spontaneous relational discovery than self-generating them.
Conclusions:
- The temporal dynamics of training, specifically the successive presentation of overlapping associations (chaining), are crucial for spontaneous relational discovery.
- These findings highlight the importance of training structure in facilitating the emergence of explicit understanding of relational hierarchies.
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