Exploring the Effect of Stimulus Similarity on the Summation Effect in Causal Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 183-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar D. Pérez ◽  
René San Martín ◽  
Fabián A. Soto
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
Stimulus Similarity ◽  
Summation Effect ◽  
Causal Independence

Abstract. Several contemporary models anticipate that the summation effect is modulated by the similarity between the cues forming a compound. Here, we explore this hypothesis in a series of causal learning experiments. Participants were presented with two visual cues that separately predicted a common outcome and later asked for the outcome predicted by the compound of the two cues. Similarity was varied between groups through changes in shape, spatial position, color, configuration, and rotation. In variance with the predictions of these models, we observed similar and strong levels of summation in both groups across all manipulations of similarity. The effect, however, was significantly reduced by manipulations intended to impact assumptions about the causal independence of the cues forming the compound, but this reduction was independent of stimulus similarity. These results are problematic for similarity-based models and can be more readily explained by rational approaches to causal learning.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of stimulus similarity on the summation effect in causal learning

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar D. Pérez ◽  
Rene San Martín ◽  
Fabián A. Soto
Keyword(s):  
Associative Learning ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
Stimulus Similarity ◽  
Summation Effect ◽  
Causal Independence

AbstractSeveral contemporary models of associative learning anticipate that the higher responding to a compound of two cues separately trained with a common outcome than to each of the cues alone -a summation effect-is modulated by the similarity between the cues forming the compound. Here, we explored this hypothesis in a series of causal learning experiments with humans. Participants were presented with two visual cues that separately predicted a common outcome and later asked for the outcome predicted by the compound of the two cues. Importantly, the cues’ similarity was varied between groups through changes in shape, spatial position, color, configuration and rotation. In variance with the predictions of these models, we observed similar and strong levels of summation in both groups across all manipulations of similarity (Experiments 1-5). The summation effect was significantly reduced by manipulations intended to impact assumptions about the causal independence of the cues forming the compound, but this reduction was independent of stimulus similarity (Experiment 6). These results are problematic for similarity-based models and can be more readily explained by rational approaches to causal learning.

The Effect of Reduced Spatial Cues on the Learning of Successive Visual Reversals

1974 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Winefield
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Brightness Discrimination ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
The Other ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Successive Reversal ◽  
Visual Cue

The performance of rats over 12 brightness discrimination reversals was studied under two experimental conditions. Under one condition all visual cues external to the apparatus were eliminated so that only the relative positions of the discriminanda could serve as a visual cue to spatial position. Under the other condition all visual cues to position were eliminated. Under the former condition performance deteriorated with successive reversals but under the latter condition performance improved. Implications of these results for theories of successive reversal improvement were discussed and two possible explanations were suggested.

Generality of the Summation Effect in Human Causal Learning

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 877-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian A. Soto ◽  
Edgar H. Vogel ◽  
Ramón D. Castillo ◽  
Allan R. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Associative Strength ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
Summation Test ◽  
Average Strength ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Performance Constraints ◽  
Summation Effect ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Human Causal Learning ◽  
Theoretical Predictions

Considerable research has examined the contrasting predictions of the elemental and configural association theories proposed by Rescorla and Wagner (1972) and Pearce (1987), respectively. One simple method to distinguish between these approaches is the summation test, in which the associative strength attributed to a novel compound of two separately trained cues is examined. Under common assumptions, the configural view predicts that the strength of the compound will approximate to the average strength of its components, whereas the elemental approach predicts that the strength of the compound will be greater than the strength of either component. Different studies have produced mixed outcomes. In studies of human causal learning, Collins and Shanks (2006) suggested that the observation of summation is encouraged by training, in which different stimuli are associated with different submaximal outcomes, and by testing, in which the alternative outcomes can be scaled. The reported experiments further pursued this reasoning. In Experiment 1, summation was more substantial when the participants were trained with outcomes identified as submaximal than when trained with simple categorical (presence/absence) outcomes. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that summation can also be obtained with categorical outcomes during training, if the participants are encouraged by instruction or the character of training to rate the separately trained components with submaximal ratings. The results are interpreted in terms of apparent performance constraints in evaluations of the contrasting theoretical predictions concerning summation.

Reduced Summation with Common Features in Causal Judgments

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 252-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Glautier ◽  
Edward Redhead ◽  
Anna Thorwart ◽  
Harald Lachnit
Keyword(s):  
Test Pattern ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Causal Learning ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Summation Effect ◽  
Causal Judgments ◽  
The Common ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Training

In three experiments human participants received training in a causal judgment task. After learning which patterns were associated with an outcome, participants rated the likelihood of the outcome in the presence of a novel combination of the patterns. The first two experiments used two conditions in which two visual patterns were associated with the outcome. In one condition these patterns shared a common feature. The third experiment only used the common feature condition. According to an elemental theory ( Rescorla & Wagner, 1972 ) the response to the novel test pattern should have exceeded that made to the individual training patterns, a summation effect, and this effect should have been reduced by the addition of a common feature. Summation was observed but since the common feature condition abolished, rather than merely reduced, summation the results were not consistent with the Rescorla-Wagner Model (RWM) nor with a configural alternative ( Pearce, 1994 ). Instead, it is necessary to consider models which allow the possibility of both elemental and configural strategies in causal learning. The Replaced Elements Model ( Wagner, 2003 ) is a development of the RWM which can best predict the patterns of summation and summation failure in these experiments.

Successive Visual Reversal Learning in Rats as a Function of Amount of Training per Reversal and Reduced Spatial Cues

1976 ◽  
Vol 43 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1103-1110
Author(s):  
A. H. Winefield ◽  
G. P. Mullins
Keyword(s):  
Reversal Learning ◽  
Recent Experiment ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Brightness Discrimination ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
Learning Criterion ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Successive Reversal ◽  
Spatial Problems

An experiment is reported which examined the effects of varying amounts of training per reversal over successive brightness discrimination reversals in rats, in a situation which reduced visual cues to spatial position. The results were similar to those of studies showing that amount of training affects successive reversal improvement on spatial problems but no differences were observed as a result of varying the cues for spatial position. The latter finding failed to confirm the result of a recent experiment in which a learning criterion was employed rather than a fixed-trials procedure.

Supporting the Use of Rudimentary Vocalizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Zubow ◽  
Richard Hurtig
Keyword(s):  
Rett Syndrome ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Primary Research ◽  
Multiple Modalities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
The Face

Children with Rett Syndrome (RS) are reported to use multiple modalities to communicate although their intentionality is often questioned (Bartolotta, Zipp, Simpkins, & Glazewski, 2011; Hetzroni & Rubin, 2006; Sigafoos et al., 2000; Sigafoos, Woodyatt, Tuckeer, Roberts-Pennell, & Pittendreigh, 2000). This paper will present results of a study analyzing the unconventional vocalizations of a child with RS. The primary research question addresses the ability of familiar and unfamiliar listeners to interpret unconventional vocalizations as “yes” or “no” responses. This paper will also address the acoustic analysis and perceptual judgments of these vocalizations. Pre-recorded isolated vocalizations of “yes” and “no” were presented to 5 listeners (mother, father, 1 unfamiliar, and 2 familiar clinicians) and the listeners were asked to rate the vocalizations as either “yes” or “no.” The ratings were compared to the original identification made by the child's mother during the face-to-face interaction from which the samples were drawn. Findings of this study suggest, in this case, the child's vocalizations were intentional and could be interpreted by familiar and unfamiliar listeners as either “yes” or “no” without contextual or visual cues. The results suggest that communication partners should be trained to attend to eye-gaze and vocalizations to ensure the child's intended choice is accurately understood.

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