Is there evidence for unaware evaluative conditioning in a valence contingency learning task?

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Gast ◽  
Jasmin Richter ◽  
Borys Ruszpel
Keyword(s):  
Learning Task ◽  
Evaluative Conditioning ◽  
Contingency Learning

Does Evaluative Learning Rely on the Perception of Contingency?

2011 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 391-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Kattner ◽  
Wolfgang Ellermeier
Keyword(s):  
Learning Task ◽  
Evaluative Conditioning ◽  
Propositional Knowledge ◽  
Contingency Learning ◽  
Subjective Contingency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Objective Contingency ◽  
Contingency Judgments

An experiment is reported studying the impact of objective contingency and contingency judgments on cross-modal evaluative conditioning (EC). Both contingency judgments and evaluative responses were measured after a contingency learning task in which previously neutral sounds served as either weak or strong predictors of affective pictures. Experimental manipulations of contingency and US density were shown to affect contingency judgments. Stronger contingencies were perceived with high contingency and with low US density. The contingency learning task also produced a reliable EC effect. The magnitude of this effect was influenced by an interaction of statistical contingency and US density. Furthermore, the magnitude of EC was correlated with the subjective contingency judgments. Taken together, the results imply that propositional knowledge about the CS-US relationship, as reflected in contingency judgments, moderates evaluative learning. The data are discussed with respect to different accounts of EC.

Blocking Is Sensitive to Causal Structure in 4-Year-Old and 8-Year-Old Children

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Beckers ◽  
Uschi Van den Broeck ◽  
Marij Renne ◽  
Stefaan Vandorpe ◽  
Jan De Houwer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Associative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Contingency Learning

Abstract. In a contingency learning task, 4-year-old and 8-year-old children had to predict the outcome displayed on the back of a card on the basis of cues presented on the front. The task was embedded in either a causal or a merely predictive scenario. Within this task, either a forward blocking or a backward blocking procedure was implemented. Blocking occurred in the causal but not in the predictive scenario. Moreover, blocking was affected by the scenario to the same extent in both age groups. The pattern of results was similar for forward and backward blocking. These results suggest that even young children are sensitive to the causal structure of a contingency learning task and that the occurrence of blocking in such a task defies an explanation in terms of associative learning theory.

Debiasing Causal Inferences: Over and Beyond Suboptimal Sampling

2021 ◽  
pp. 009862832110483
Author(s):  
Javier Rodríguez-Ferreiro ◽  
Miguel A. Vadillo ◽  
Itxaso Barberia
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Contingency Learning ◽  
Causal Inferences ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Information Sampling ◽  
Learning Trials ◽  
The Way

Background We have previously presented two educational interventions aimed to diminish causal illusions and promote critical thinking. In both cases, these interventions reduced causal illusions developed in response to active contingency learning tasks, in which participants were able to decide whether to introduce the potential cause in each of the learning trials. The reduction of causal judgments appeared to be influenced by differences in the frequency with which the participants decided to apply the potential cause, hence indicating that the intervention affected their information sampling strategies. Objective In the present study, we investigated whether one of these interventions also reduces causal illusions when covariation information is acquired passively. Method Forty-one psychology undergraduates received our debiasing intervention, while 31 students were assigned to a control condition. All participants completed a passive contingency learning task. Results We found weaker causal illusions in students that participated in the debiasing intervention, compared to the control group. Conclusion The intervention affects not only the way the participants look for new evidence, but also the way they interpret given information. Teaching implications Our data extending previous results regarding evidence-based educational interventions aimed to promote critical thinking to situations in which we act as mere observers.

Back Pain Scenario Contingency Learning Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rena Gatzounis ◽  
Christine van Vliet ◽  
Ann Meulders
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Contingency Learning

Hand Pain Scenario Contingency Learning Task

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Meulders ◽  
Daniel S. Harvie ◽  
Jane K. Bowering ◽  
Suzanne Caragianis ◽  
Johan W. S. Vlaeyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Task ◽  
Contingency Learning ◽  
Hand Pain

scholarly journals Thinking in a Foreign language reduces the causality bias

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Díaz-Lago ◽  
Helena Matute
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Contingency Learning ◽  
Native Spanish Speakers ◽  
Associative Processes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of a foreign language on the causality bias (i.e., the illusion that two events are causally related when they are not). We predict that using a foreign language could reduce the illusions of causality. A total of 36 native English speakers participated in Experiment 1, 80 native Spanish speakers in Experiment 2. They performed a standard contingency learning task, which can be used to detect causal illusions. Participants who performed the task in their native tongue replicated the illusion of causality effect, whereas those performing the task in their foreign language were more accurate in detecting that the two events were causally unrelated. Our results suggest that presenting the information in a foreign language could be used as a strategy to debias individuals against causal illusions, thereby facilitating more accurate judgements and decisions in non-contingent situations. They also contribute to the debate on the nature and underlying mechanisms of the foreign language effect, given that the illusion of causality is rooted in basic associative processes.

Epistemic and relational conflicts in sharing identical vs. complementary information during cooperative learning

2002 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Darnon ◽  
Céline Buchs ◽  
Fabrizio Butera
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Relational Conflict ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

When interacting on a learning task, which is typical of several academic situations, individuals may experience two different motives: Understanding the problem, or showing their competences. When a conflict (confrontation of divergent propositions) emerges from this interaction, it can be solved either in an epistemic way (focused on the task) or in a relational way (focused on the social comparison of competences). The latter is believed to be detrimental for learning. Moreover, research on cooperative learning shows that when they share identical information, partners are led to compare to each other, and are less encouraged to cooperate than when they share complementary information. An epistemic vs. relational conflict vs. no conflict was provoked in dyads composed by a participant and a confederate, working either on identical or on complementary information (N = 122). Results showed that, if relational and epistemic conflicts both entailed more perceived interactions and divergence than the control group, only relational conflict entailed more perceived comparison activities and a less positive relationship than the control group. Epistemic conflict resulted in a more positive perceived relationship than the control group. As far as performance is concerned, relational conflict led to a worse learning than epistemic conflict, and - after a delay - than the control group. An interaction between the two variables on delayed performance showed that epistemic and relational conflicts were different only when working with complementary information. This study shows the importance of the quality of relationship when sharing information during cooperative learning, a crucial factor to be taken into account when planning educational settings at the university.

“Paint It Black”

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oulmann Zerhouni ◽  
Johan Lepage
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Evaluative Conditioning ◽  
Maladaptive Behaviors ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Contingency Awareness ◽  
Difficulties In Emotion Regulation

Abstract. The present study is a first attempt to link self-reported difficulties in everyday emotion regulation (ER) with evaluative conditioning (EC). We conducted a within-subject study in which participants (n = 90) filled the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and were exposed to neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) paired with mildly or highly arousing negative unconditioned stimuli (USs) and positive USs. Participants then filled a contingency awareness measure. Results showed (i) that CSs paired with highly arousing negative USs were more negatively evaluated, (ii) that the EC effect with highly and mildly arousing negative USs was stronger among participants with greater self-reported difficulties in everyday ER. Moreover, participants were more likely to be aware of the CS-US contingencies with highly (vs. mildly) arousing negative USs. Implications for the understanding of maladaptive behaviors and for future directions in EC research are discussed.

Secondary Transfer Effect of Contact

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Pettigrew
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Dissonance ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Intergroup Contact ◽  
Transfer Effect ◽  
Evaluative Conditioning ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Secondary Transfer ◽  
Primary Reduction

This paper reviews the evidence for a secondary transfer effect of intergroup contact. Following a contact’s typical primary reduction in prejudice toward the outgroup involved in the contact, this effect involves a further, secondary reduction in prejudice toward noninvolved outgroups. Employing longitudinal German probability samples, we found that significant secondary transfer effects of intergroup contact exist, but they were limited to specific outgroups that are similar to the contacted outgroup in perceived stereotypes, status or stigma. Since the contact-prejudice link is bidirectional, the effect is inflated when prior prejudice reducing contact is not controlled. The strongest evidence derives from experimental research. Both cognitive (dissonance) and affective (evaluative conditioning) explanations for the effect are offered.

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