Multisensory Congruency Enhances Explicit Awareness in a Sequence Learning Task

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 681-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E. Silva ◽  
Brandon K. Barakat ◽  
Luis O. Jimenez ◽  
Ladan Shams
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Repeated Sequence ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Explicit Learning ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
Two Measures

We examined the effect of audiovisual training on learning a repeated sequence of motor responses. Participants were trained with either congruent or incongruent audiovisual cues to produce motor responses. Learning was tested by comparing reaction times to untrained sequences and by asking participants to recreate the trained sequence. A strong association was found between the two measures and the majority of high-scoring participants belonged to the congruent audiovisual condition. Because the second measure requires explicit knowledge of the trained sequence, we conclude that audiovisual congruency facilitates explicit learning.

On the Role of Fragmentary Knowledge in a Sequence Learning Task

1998 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Buchner ◽  
Melanie C. Steffens ◽  
Rainer Rothkegel
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Considerable Debate ◽  
Adapted Process

There has been considerable debate about whether or not we need to distinguish between the acquisition of implicit—and, independently thereof, the acquisition of explicit—knowledge in sequence learning tasks. Proponents of the view that a unitary knowledge base is formed assume (a) that the knowledge acquired is explicitly available, and (b) that information about sequence fragments forms the core of this explicit knowledge. Both of these issues are addressed empirically in the present article. In two experiments, an adapted process dissociation procedure and a suitable measurement model were used to separate recollective (explicit) and fluency-based (implicit) memory processes in a sequence learning task. Experiment 1 demonstrated that fluency-based processes came into play much later than recollective processes. Such recollective processes have been conceptualized as being based on simple knowledge about sequence fragments or chunks. Indeed, Experiment 2 showed that recollective processes are more likely to contribute to sequence judgements if chunks are readily available at test than if they are not. Together, these results are in line with the view that the learning of an event systematicity can be conceived of as the memorization of chunks of events that support both the speeding up of reaction times to systematic events and explicit, recollective memory processes even after relatively little training.

scholarly journals Implicit Learning of True and False Belief Sequences

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianying Ma ◽  
Elien Heleven ◽  
Giulia Funghi ◽  
Min Pu ◽  
Kris Baetens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Implicit Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
False Belief ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Implicit Sequence Learning ◽  
Related Sequence ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
True False

To investigate whether people can implicitly learn regularities in a social context, we developed a new implicit sequence learning task combining elements from classic false belief and serial reaction time tasks. Participants learned that protagonists were offered flowers at four locations. The protagonists' beliefs concerning the flowers were true or false, depending on their orientation, respectively, toward the scene (so that the flowers could be seen) or away from it. Unbeknown to the participants, there was a fixed belief-related sequence involving three dimensions (identity of the two protagonists, true-false belief orientation held by the protagonists, and flower location as believed by the protagonists). Participants had to indicate as fast as possible where the flowers were located (Experiment 1), or how many flowers were given (Experiment 2) according to the protagonists. Experiment 1 combined perceptual and motor processes (as both the belief-related sequence and motor responses referred to location), whereas Experiment 2 unconfounded the sequence and motor responses, allowing to investigate pure perceptual implicit learning. For reasons of comparison, two non-social conditions were created in Experiment 2 by replacing the protagonists with two non-social objects—colored cameras or shapes. Results revealed significant implicit sequence learning of all belief-related dimensions in Experiment 1, and of true-false belief orientation in Experiment 2, even without a motor confound. Importantly, there were faster reaction times and stronger sequence learning effects in the social than in the non-social conditions. The present findings demonstrate for the first time that people are able to implicitly learn belief-related sequences.

scholarly journals Retrieval of a well-established skill is resistant to distraction: Evidence from an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodóra Vékony ◽  
Lilla Török ◽  
Felipe Pedraza ◽  
Kate Schipper ◽  
Claire Pleche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Concurrent Task ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Task Effect ◽  
Task Conditions

The characteristics of acquiring new sequence information under dual-task situations have been extensively studied. A concurrent task has often been found to affect performance. In real life, however, we mostly perform a secondary task when the primary task is already well acquired. The effect of a secondary task on the ability to retrieve well-established sequence representations remains elusive. The present study investigates whether accessing well-acquired probabilistic sequence knowledge is affected by a concurrent task. Participants acquired non-adjacent regularities in an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task. After a 24-hour offline period, participants were tested on the same probabilistic sequence learning task under dual-task or single-task conditions. Here, we show that although the secondary task significantly prolonged the overall reaction times in the primary (sequence learning) task, access to the previously learned probabilistic representations remained intact. Our results highlight the importance of studying the dual-task effect not only in the learning phase but also during memory access to reveal the robustness of the acquired skill.

Error and Deviance Processing in Implicit and Explicit Sequence Learning

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola K. Ferdinand ◽  
Axel Mecklinger ◽  
Jutta Kray
Keyword(s):  
Implicit Learning ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Random Sequences ◽  
Regular Sequences ◽  
The Status ◽  
Related Potentials

In this experiment, we examined the extent to which error-driven learning may operate under implicit learning conditions. We compared error monitoring in a sequence learning task in which stimuli consisted of regular, irregular, or random sequences. Subjects were either informed (explicit condition) or not informed (implicit condition) about the existence of the sequence. For both conditions, reaction times were faster to stimuli from regular sequences than from random sequences, thus supporting the view that sequence learning occurs irrespective of learning condition. Response-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) showed a pronounced ERN/Ne, thereby signaling the detection of committed errors. Deviant stimuli from irregular sequences elicited an N2b component that developed in the course of the experiment, albeit faster for explicit than implicit learners. This observation supports the view that deviant events acquire the status of perceived errors during explicit and implicit learning, and thus, an N2b is generated resembling the ERN/Ne to committed errors. While performing the task, expectations about upcoming events are generated, compared to the actual events, and evaluated on the dimension “better or worse than expected.” The accuracy of this process improves with learning, as shown by a gradual increase in N2b amplitude as a function of learning. Additionally, a P3b, which is thought to mirror conscious processing of deviant stimuli and is related to updating of working memory representations, was found for explicit learners only.

scholarly journals Retrieval of a well-established skill is resistant to distraction: evidence from an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodóra Vékony ◽  
Lilla Török ◽  
Felipe Pedraza ◽  
Kate Schipper ◽  
Claire Plèche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Concurrent Task ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Task Effect ◽  
Task Conditions

AbstractThe characteristics of acquiring new sequence information under dual-task situations have been extensively studied so far. Such a concurrent task has often been found to affect performance. In real life, however, we mostly perform a secondary task when the primary one is already well-acquired. The effect of a secondary task on the ability to retrieve well-established sequence representations remains elusive. The present study investigates whether accessing a well-acquired probabilistic sequence knowledge is affected by a concurrent task. Participants acquired non-adjacent regularities in a perceptual-motor implicit probabilistic sequence learning task. After a 24-hour offline period, participants were tested on the same sequence learning task under dual-task or single-task conditions. Here we show that although the secondary task significantly prolonged the overall reaction times in the primary task, the access to the previously learned probabilistic representations remained intact. Our results highlight the importance of studying the dual-task effect not only in the learning phase but also during memory access.

scholarly journals The longer the better? General skill but not probabilistic learning improves with the duration of short rest periods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lison Fanuel ◽  
Claire Plèche ◽  
Teodóra Vékony ◽  
Romain Quentin ◽  
Karolina Janacsek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Rest Periods ◽  
General Skills ◽  
Probabilistic Sequences ◽  
General Skill

AbstractMemory consolidation has mainly been investigated for extended periods, from hours to days. Recent studies suggest that memory consolidation can also occur within shorter periods, from minutes to seconds. Our study aimed at determining (1) whether short rest periods lead to improvements in implicit probabilistic sequence learning and (2) whether length of rest duration influences such offline improvements. Participants performed an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task throughout 45 blocks. Between blocks, participants were allowed to rest and then to continue the task in their pace. The overall reaction times (general skill learning) shortened from pre- to post-rest periods, and this improvement was increased for longer rest durations. However, probabilistic sequences knowledge decreased in these periods, and this decrement was not related to the length of rest duration. These results suggest that (1) general skill learning but not probabilistic sequence knowledge benefits from short rest periods and, possibly, from memory consolidation, (2) ultra-fast offline improvements in general skills, but not forgetting in probabilistic sequence knowledge, are time-dependent. Overall, our findings highlight that ultra-fast consolidation differently affects distinct cognitive processes.

scholarly journals Assumptions of the Process-Dissociation Procedure are Violated in Implicit Sequence Learning

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Barth ◽  
Christoph Stahl ◽  
Hilde Haider
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Implicit Knowledge ◽  
Process Dissociation ◽  
Implicit Sequence Learning ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Accurate Performance ◽  
Exclusion Condition ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Implicit And Explicit Learning

In implicit sequence learning, a process-dissociation (PD) approach has been proposed to dissociate implicit and explicit learning processes. Applied to the popular generation task, participants perform two different task versions: inclusion instructions require generating the transitions that form the learned sequence; exclusion instructions require generating transitions other than those of the learned sequence. Whereas accurate performance under inclusion may be based on either implicit or explicit knowledge, avoiding to generate learned transitions requires controllable explicit sequence knowledge. The PD approach yields separate estimates of explicit and implicit knowledge that are derived from the same task; it therefore avoids many problems of previous measurement approaches. However, the PD approach rests on the critical assumption that the implicit and explicit processes are invariant across inclusion and exclusion conditions. We tested whether the invariance assumptions hold for the PD generation task. Across three studies using first-order as well as second-order regularities, invariance of the controlled process was found to be violated. In particular, despite extensive amounts of practice, explicit knowledge was not exhaustively expressed in the exclusion condition. We discuss the implications of these findings for the use of process-dissociation in assessing implicit knowledge.

Processing of Contextual Information during an Implicit Probabilistic Sequence Learning Task: Left Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Involvement

NeuroImage ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. S883
Author(s):  
P. Peigneux ◽  
P. Maquet ◽  
M. Van der Linden ◽  
T. Meulemans ◽  
C. Degueldre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex

scholarly journals THE AGING BRAIN AND MOTOR LEARNING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S655-S655
Author(s):  
Qu Tian ◽  
Roger Mullins ◽  
Abby Corkum ◽  
David Reiter ◽  
Daniel Pupo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Repeated Sequence ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The effect of aging on motor learning is poorly understood. This study investigated response time and patterns of brain activation induced over the course of a bimanual motor learning task in three age groups. Twenty-two cognitively unimpaired participants (32%women) were grouped into Young (<35,n=6), Middle-Age (36-59,n=10), and Old (60+,n=6). A self-paced bimanual motor learning task was performed during fMRI. The task consisted of using 2 capital and 2 lower case letters in strings of 16 cues with 6 novel alternating with 6 repeated sequence blocks. To assess learning, a repeated measures ANOVA tested whether average time per slide differed over time between novel and sequence conditions. Voxel-wise changes in brain activation between novel and sequence conditions over time were examined using a within-subject repeated measures model. Faster initial time per slide was associated with younger age (p0.05). Old had increased brain activation in repeated sequence than novel conditions in right postcentral and superior parietal regions during the early half of the task compared to the second half (p0.05). We found behavioral evidence of motor learning in Middle-Age and Old, but not Young, perhaps because younger individuals performed quickly and learned sequence almost immediately. Among older individuals, sequence-specific learning in parietal regions challenges the view that it is mediated by only motor areas.

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