Questioning the Role of Forward Associative Strength in False Memories: Evidence From Deese-Roediger-McDermott Lists With Three Critical Lures

We report an experiment examining the factors that produce false recognition in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. We selectively manipulated the probability that critical lures produce study items in free association, known as forward associative strength (FAS), while controlling the probability that study items produce critical lures in free association, known as backward associative strength (BAS). Results showed that false recognition of critical lures failed to differ between strong and weak FAS conditions. Follow-up correlational analyses further supported this outcome, showing that FAS was not correlated with false recognition, despite substantial variability in both variables across our stimulus sets. However, these correlational analyses did produce a significant and strong relationship between BAS and false recognition. These results support views that propose false memory is produced by activation spreading from study items to critical lures during encoding, which leads critical lures to be confused with episodically-experienced events.

Potential of Using Formalized Parameters for Modeling Speech Action

The quantitative parameters characterizing direct and indirect connections of words in the composition of the associative field “polite” are studied on the basis of the “Project of a multilingual associative thesaurus of politeness”. The aim of the study is to substantiate the potential of using formalized parameters when analyzing the stimulus-response ratio as a speech action. To achieve this goal, a free associative experiment, general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization were used. The functions of the index of direct and inverse associative strength, the number of mediations, the index of the associative power of mediation, the number of intersecting associates and the associative power of overlap are considered. The index of direct associative strength is used to calculate the probability of activation of a combination of stimulus — response, and the index of inverse associative strength reveals the degree of operationality of the corresponding combinations of response — stimulus. Analysis of the mediation parameter makes it possible to determine the number of potential signs, on the basis of which predication from stimulus to reaction is carried out. The index of the associative power of mediation characterizes the operationality of the ratio of stimulus - reaction, etc. The effectiveness of the use of formalized quantitative parameters in the modeling of speech action is proved.

The Role of Language Proficiency in False Memory: A Mini Review

Memory errors and, specifically, false memories in the Deese/Roediger–McDermott paradigm have been extensively studied in the past decades. Most studies have investigated false memory in monolinguals’ native or first language (L1), but interest has also grown in examining false memories in participants’ second language (L2) with different proficiency levels. The main purpose of this manuscript is to review the current state of knowledge on the role of language proficiency on false memories when participants encode and retrieve information in the same language. To do so, a systematic literature search was conducted, and the available studies were reviewed. These studies differed in, for example, age, language proficiency, or material characteristics, including both high and low associative strength lists, and they reported different results. In this review, we attempted to make sense of the apparently contradictory results by carefully identifying participants’ language dominance and L2 proficiency. Specifically, the results indicated that, first, people are more prone to produce false memories in their dominant than in their non-dominant language. This result generalizes to lists with high and low associative strength, as well as to participants of different ages. Second, false memories do not differ between two languages when speakers are equally proficient in both languages. Finally, highly proficient L2 speakers produce more false memories in their L2 than speakers with lower L2 proficiency. The results of this review will be considered in the light of the theoretical frameworks of false memories and bilingual language processing.

Representing uncertainty in the Rescorla-Wagner model: Blocking, the redundancy effect, and outcome base rate

It is generally assumed that the Rescorla and Wagner (1972) model adequately accommodates the full results of simple cue competition experiments in humans (e.g. Dickinson et al., 1984), while the Bush and Mosteller (1951) model cannot. We present simulations that demonstrate this assumption is wrong in at least some circumstances. The Rescorla-Wagner model, as usually applied, fits the full results of a simple forward cue-competition experiment no better than the Bush-Mosteller model. Additionally, we present a novel finding, where letting the associative strength of all cues start at an intermediate value (rather than zero), allows this modified model to provide a better account of the experimental data than the (equivalently modified) Bush-Mosteller model. This modification also allows the Rescorla-Wagner model to account for a redundancy effect experiment (Uengoer et al., 2013); something that the unmodified model is not able to do. Furthermore, the modified Rescorla-Wagner model can accommodate the effect of varying the proportion of trials on which the outcome occurs (i.e. the base rate) on the redundancy effect (Jones et al., 2019). Interestingly, the initial associative strength of cues varies in line with the outcome base rate. We propose that this modification provides a simple way of mathematically representing uncertainty about the causal status of novel cues within the confines of the Rescorla-Wagner model. The theoretical implications of this modification are discussed. We also briefly introduce free and open resources to support formal modelling in associative learning. Keywords: associative learning, prediction error, uncertainty, modelling, blocking, redundancy effect, open science.

Representing uncertainty in the Rescorla-Wagner model: blocking, the redundancy effect, and outcome base rate

It is generally assumed that the Rescorla and Wagner (1972) model adequately accommodates the full results of simple cue competition experiments in humans (e.g. Dickinson et al., 1984), while the Bush and Mosteller (1951) model cannot. We present simulations that demonstrate this assumption is wrong in at least some circumstances. The Rescorla-Wagner model, as usually applied, fits the full results of a simple forward cue-competition experiment no better than the Bush-Mosteller model. Additionally, we present a novel finding, where letting the associative strength of all cues start at an intermediate value (rather than zero), allows this modified model to provide a better account of the experimental data than the (equivalently modified) Bush-Mosteller model. This modification also allows the Rescorla-Wagner model to account for a redundancy effect experiment (Uengoer et al., 2013); something that the unmodified model is not able to do. Furthermore, the modified Rescorla-Wagner model can accommodate the effect of varying the proportion of trials on which the outcome occurs (i.e. the base rate) on the redundancy effect (Jones et al., 2019). Interestingly, the initial associative strength of cues varies in line with the outcome base rate. We propose that this modification provides a simple way of mathematically representing uncertainty about the causal status of novel cues within the confines of the Rescorla-Wagner model. The theoretical implications of this modification are discussed. We also briefly introduce free and open resources to support formal modelling in associative learning.

Dissociating Representations of Time and Number in Reinforcement-Rate Learning by Deletion of the GluA1 AMPA Receptor Subunit in Mice

Theories of learning differ in whether they assume that learning reflects the strength of an association between memories or symbolic encoding of the statistical properties of events. We provide novel evidence for symbolic encoding of informational variables by demonstrating that sensitivity to time and number in learning is dissociable. Whereas responding in normal mice was dependent on reinforcement rate, responding in mice that lacked the GluA1 AMPA receptor subunit was insensitive to reinforcement rate and, instead, dependent on the number of times a cue had been paired with reinforcement. This suggests that GluA1 is necessary for weighting numeric information by temporal information in order to calculate reinforcement rate. Sample sizes per genotype varied between seven and 23 across six experiments and consisted of both male and female mice. The results provide evidence for explicit encoding of variables by animals rather than implicit encoding via variations in associative strength.

Single neuron activity predicts behavioral performance of individual animals during memory retention

In 1972 Rescorla and Wagner formulated their model of classical Pavlovian conditioning postulating that the associative strength of a stimulus is expressed directly in the behavior it elicits1. Many biologists and psychologists were inspired by this model, and numerous experiments thereafter were interpreted assuming that the magnitude of the conditioned response (CR) reflects an associative effect at the physiological level. However, a correlation between neural activity and the expression of the CR in individual animals has not yet been reported. Here we show that, following differential odor conditioning, the change in activity of single mushroom body output neurons (MBON) of the honeybee predicts the behavioral performance of the individual during memory retention. The encoding of the stimulus-reward association at the mushroom body output occurs about 600 ms before the initiation of the CR. We conclude that the MB provides a stable representation of the stimulus-reward associative strength, and that this representation is required for behavioral decision-making during memory retention.