Discrimination between Outcomes in Instrumental Learning: Effects of Preexposure to the Reinforcers

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (3b) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A.J. Blair ◽  
Pam Blundell ◽  
Tiffany Galtress ◽  
Geoffrey Hall ◽  
Simon Killcross
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Learning Effect ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Instrumental Learning ◽  
Test Session ◽  
The Other ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Instrumental Training ◽  
Mixed Schedule

In two experiments rats received instrumental training with two response levers, one response being reinforced by sucrose solution and the other by sucrose pellets. Prior to a test session, on which both levers were made available in the absence of reinforcement, the rats were given free access to one of the reinforcers, a procedure known to reduce its value. It was found that the rats responded at a lower rate on the lever that had produced the now-devalued reinforcer, but that this effect was substantial only in rats that had received preexposure to the two reinforcers before instrumental training was begun (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 demonstrated that this effect was obtained only when presentations of the two reinforcers were presented according to an inter-mixed schedule during preexposure. It is suggested that this result constitutes an instance of the perceptual learning effect in which intermixed preexposure to similar events enhances their discriminability.

The Interaction between Discriminative Stimuli and Outcomes during Instrumental Learning

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (1b) ◽  
pp. 127-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Dickinson ◽  
Sanne de Wit
Keyword(s):  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Food Pellet ◽  
Instrumental Learning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Food Type ◽  
Instrumental Performance ◽  
Stimulus Function ◽  
Associative Structures ◽  
Congruent Group ◽  
Biconditional Discrimination

Rats were trained on a biconditional discrimination in which the delivery of a food pellet stimulus signalled that pressing on one of two levers would be reinforced, whereas the delivery of a sucrose solution stimulus signalled that the reward was contingent on pressing the other lever. The outcome was the same food type as the discriminative stimulus in the congruent group but the other food type in the incongruent group. Both responses were rewarded with the same outcome in the same group. All the three groups learned the discrimination at statistically indistinguishable rates. Prefeeding one of the outcomes selectively reduced the associated response thereby demonstrating that responding was mediated by a representation of the outcome. Moreover, the outcome of one trial controlled responding on the next trial in accord with the stimulus function of the food type. These results are discussed in relation to the associative structures mediating the discriminative control of instrumental performance.

Attention to perceive, to learn and to respond

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Hall ◽  
Gabriel Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Learning Effect ◽  
Stimulus Element ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Alternative Account ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Stimulus Salience ◽  
Attentional Learning ◽  
The Way

Mackintosh and his collaborators put forward an account of perceptual learning effects based, in part, on learned changes in stimulus salience. In the workshop held to mark Mackintosh’s retirement, and published as a special issue of this journal, Hall discussed Mackintosh’s theory and proposed his own alternative account. We now want to take the story forward in the light of findings and theoretical perspectives that have emerged since then. Specifically, we will argue that neither Mackintosh nor Hall was correct in his account of the principles that govern how changes in salience occur. Both supposed (in different ways) that such changes depend on the way in which the stimulus (or stimulus element) is predicted by another event. In contrast, theories of attentional learning have stressed the notion that changes in the properties of a stimulus might depend on the way in which it predicts its consequences. These theories have been concerned with attention-for-learning (associability). We now consider how the general principle they both employ might be relevant to the other forms of attention (for perception and for performance) that are, we will argue, critical for the perceptual learning effect.

Modulation of motivation and attention in perceptual learning: effects upon learning and cortical representation?

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Lissek ◽  
O Höffken ◽  
P Stude ◽  
V Nicolas ◽  
H Dinse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Cortical Representation ◽  
Learning Effects

Beyond the Reward Pathway: Coding Reward Magnitude and Error in the Rat Subthalamic Nucleus

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 2526-2537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Lardeux ◽  
Remy Pernaud ◽  
Dany Paleressompoulle ◽  
Christelle Baunez
Keyword(s):  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Firing Pattern ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The Other ◽  
Reward Circuitry ◽  
Reward Delivery ◽  
Reward Pathway ◽  
Subthalamic Neurons ◽  
The Brain

It was recently shown that subthalamic nucleus (STN) lesions affect motivation for food, cocaine, and alcohol, differentially, according to either the nature of the reward or the preference for it. The STN may thus code a reward according to its value. Here, we investigated how the firing of subthalamic neurons is modulated during expectation of a predicted reward between two possibilities (4 or 32% sucrose solution). The firing pattern of neurons responding to predictive cues and to reward delivery indicates that STN neurons can be divided into subpopulations responding specifically to one reward and less or giving no response to the other. In addition, some neurons (“oops” neurons) specifically encode errors as they respond only during error trials. These results reveal that the STN plays a critical role in ascertaining the value of the reward and seems to encode that value differently depending on the magnitude of the reward. These data highlight the importance of the STN in the reward circuitry of the brain.

The Artisential® Articulated Laparoscopic Forceps: A Dry Lab Study to Examine Dexterity and Learning Effects in Operators with Different Levels of Laparoscopic Experience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Darwich ◽  
Mohammad Abuassi ◽  
Christel Weiss ◽  
Dietmar Stephan ◽  
Frank Willeke
Keyword(s):  
Learning Effect ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Transfer Task ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Laparoscopic Instrument ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Times ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Laparoscopic Experience ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose: The advent of robotic surgery has highlighted the advantages of articulation. This dry-lab study examined the dexterity and learning effect of a new articulated laparoscopic instrument: the ArtiSential® forceps (LIVSMED, Seongnam, Republic of Korea). Methods: A peg board task was designed. Three groups of volunteers with varying levels of laparoscopic expertise were organized to perform the task: expert, intermediate and novice. The participants performed the task using articulated and straight instruments, once before a 30-min training session and once afterwards. The times required to perform the task were recorded. The performances were analyzed and compared between the groups as well as between the straight and articulated instruments. Results: The experts were significantly faster than the novices with both instruments before the 30-min training session (p = 0.0317 for each instrument). No significant time difference was found among the three groups after the 30-min training session. The decrease in the time required to perform the peg-transfer task with the articulated instrument was significantly greater in the novice and intermediate groups (p = 0.0159 for each group). No significant difference in time reduction was observed between the groups with the straight instrument. Regardless of the user, the articulated device was associated with faster task performance than the straight device after 8 hours of training (p = 0.0039). Conclusion: The ArtiSential® articulated device can improve dexterity. A significantly greater learning effect was observed in the novice and intermediate groups in comparison with experts. A plateau in the learning curve was observed after a few hours of training.

scholarly journals Composition of dental plaque formed in the presence of sucrose and after its interruption

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Aparecido Cury ◽  
Aline Soler Marques ◽  
Cíntia Pereira Machado Tabchoury ◽  
Altair Antoninha Del Bel Cury
Keyword(s):  
Crossover Study ◽  
Dental Plaque ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Inorganic Phosphorus ◽  
Deionized Water ◽  
The Other ◽  
Low Concentration ◽  
Human Enamel ◽  
Two Stages

Since dental plaque reservoirs of fluoride (F), calcium (Ca) and inorganic phosphorus (Pi) are susceptible to decreases in pH, this in situ crossover study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the low concentration of these ions in plaque, formed in the presence of sucrose, could be attributed merely to the fermentation of this sugar. Eleven volunteers wore palatal appliances containing 6 human enamel blocks during two stages. In each stage, the treatments were either 20% sucrose solution or distilled deionized water, which were dripped onto the blocks 8 times a day. After 28 days, in each stage, the dental plaque formed on two blocks was collected, the treatment was inverted and after a further 24 and 48 h, the biofilm formed was collected from the other blocks. The concentration of acid-soluble F, Ca and Pi, and the concentration of insoluble polysaccharide (IP) were determined in the dental plaque. Statistically lower concentrations of F, Ca and Pi, and a higher concentration of IP were found in the 28-day biofilm formed in the presence of sucrose than in its absence; after the treatment inversion the change in F, Ca and Pi was not statistically significant, but the IP concentration changed significantly. The hypothesis was rejected because change in concentration of F, Ca and Pi is not due to fermentation of the sucrose.

Effects of model types in observational learning on implicit sequential learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1596-1606
Author(s):  
Kanji Tanaka ◽  
Katsumi Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Test Session ◽  
Sequential Learning ◽  
Test Sequence ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Behavior Type ◽  
Movie Clip ◽  
Motor Representations

This study investigated whether implicit learning of sequence by observation occurred in a serial reaction time task and whether the learning effects were modulated by model behavioral type. In Experiment 1, we let 20 participants perform a sequence for 12 blocks and chose the best and worst performance models based on reaction time and errors. In Experiment 2, new observers viewed a movie clip chosen from the following three: the best model performing the sequential task in the first (the first six blocks) or second session (the last six blocks), or the worst model performing the task in the first session. Then, the observers performed the observed sequence, a test sequence and awareness test. We found that (1) implicit sequential learning occurred by observation regardless of model behavior type, (2) the learning effects were not susceptible to model behavior type and (3) speed index reflecting reaction time became larger even in the test session when the observers viewed the best model performing the second session. Overall, observers developed general motor representations through action–observation. In addition, their responses were also contagious; if the model performed the sequence faster, the observer might be able to perform the sequence faster.

The role of stimulus comparison in animal perceptual learning: Effects of a distractor placement

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 2488-2496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio A Recio ◽  
Adela F Iliescu ◽  
Isabel de Brugada
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Animal Research ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Stimulus Comparison ◽  
Human Research ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Effect Experiment

Research on perceptual learning shows that the way stimuli are presented leads to different outcomes. The intermixed/blocked (I/B) effect is one of these outcomes, and different mechanisms have been proposed to explain it. In human research, it seems that comparison between stimuli is important, and the placement of a distractor between the pre-exposed stimuli interferes with the effect. Results from animal research are usually interpreted in different terms because the type of procedure normally used in animal perceptual learning does not favour comparison. In our experiments, we explore the possibility that a distractor placed between the to-be-discriminated stimuli may interfere with the perceptual learning process in rats. In Experiment 1, two flavoured solutions are presented in an I/B fashion, with a short time lapse between them to favour comparison, showing the typical I/B effect. In Experiment 2, we introduced a distractor in between the solutions, abolishing this effect. Experiment 3 further replicates this by comparing two intermixed groups with or without distractor. The results replicate the findings from human research, suggesting that comparison also plays an important role in animal perceptual learning.

scholarly journals Intercultural practicum: Perceptual learning through video in the pandemic context

Teachers Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1and2) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Dawn Joseph ◽  
Richard Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
International Student ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
The Other ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Cultural Environment ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The Social ◽  
Travel Restrictions

In our work with Australian initial teacher education (ITE) students our emphasis is on encouraging students to understand different cultural practices. Drawing on narrative reflection, we discuss intercultural and pedagogical concerns in which ITE students undertake international practicums. We recognise these students have a predominantly Western lens when undertaking practicums in Asian countries. To address this issue a video A Day in the Life… of Tamil School Children (https://youtu.be/vPdiogRR-Ig) in India was produced to change, improve and help students learn about the social and cultural environment of the ‘international student’. Students who took part in previous international practicums agreed that the video was an effective tool for cultural familiarisation. During this time of COVID-19 with travel restrictions abroad, the video resource serves as an effective visual pedagogy to build cultural understanding, embrace diversity, enable perceptual learning and empowering students to cultivate intercultural understandings of ‘the other’.

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