Feeling more neutral? Evaluative conditioning can increase neutral affective reactions.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Affective Science

Background:

• Learning affective responses is crucial for human behavior.
• Evaluative conditioning (EC) typically studies the acquisition of positive or negative affect.
• The capacity for learning neutral affect remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether evaluative conditioning (EC) can instill neutral affect.
• To test hypotheses regarding the formation and strength of learned neutral preferences.
• To determine if learned neutrality is distinct from the absence of conditioning.

Main Methods:

• Six experiments utilized EC paradigms pairing novel conditioned stimuli (CSs) with various unconditioned stimuli (USs) (positive, negative, neutral, or none).
• Participants rated their positive, negative, and neutral feelings towards CSs before and after conditioning.
• The number of CS-US pairings was manipulated (high vs. low) to assess the strength of learned neutrality.

Main Results:

• Positive and negative USs predictably altered positive and negative affect ratings.
• A neutral US, unlike no US pairing, increased neutral affect ratings.
• Increased neutral affect was more pronounced with a higher number of CS-US pairings, supporting learned neutrality.

Conclusions:

• People can learn neutral affective preferences through evaluative conditioning.
• The strength of learned neutrality is influenced by the frequency of stimulus pairings.
• These findings expand our understanding of affective learning beyond simple valence acquisition.