The redundancy effect is related to a lack of conditioned inhibition: Evidence from a task in which excitation and inhibition are symmetrical

Author:

Zaksaite Tara1ORCID,Jones Peter M1

Affiliation:

1. School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

Abstract

Rescorla and Wagner’s model of learning describes excitation and inhibition as symmetrical opposites. However, tasks used in human causal learning experiments, such as the allergist task, generally involve learning about cues leading to the presence or absence of the outcome, which may not reflect this assumption. This is important when considering learning effects which provide a challenge to this model, such as the redundancy effect. The redundancy effect describes higher causal ratings for the blocked cue X than for the uncorrelated cue Y in the design A+/AX+/BY+/CY–, the opposite pattern to that predicted by the Rescorla–Wagner model, which predicts higher associative strength for Y than for X. Crucially, this prediction depends on cue C gaining some inhibitory associative strength. In this article, we used a task in which cues could have independent inhibitory effects on the outcome, to investigate whether a lack of inhibition was related to the redundancy effect. In Experiment 1, inhibition for C was not detected in the allergist task, supporting this possibility. Three further experiments using the alternative task showed that a lack of inhibition was related to the redundancy effect: the redundancy effect was smaller when C was rated as inhibitory. Individual variation in the strength of inhibition for C also determined the size of the redundancy effect. Given that weak inhibition was detected in the alternative scenario but not in the allergist task, we recommend carefully choosing the type of task used to investigate associative learning phenomena, as it may influence results.

Funder

University of Plymouth

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Physiology (medical),General Psychology,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology,General Medicine,Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology,Physiology

Cited by 3 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. Using unobserved causes to explain unexpected outcomes: The effect of existing causal knowledge on protection from extinction by a hidden cause.;Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition;2023-12-14

2. Theory protection: Do humans protect existing associative links?;Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition;2022-01

3. Representing uncertainty in the Rescorla-Wagner model: Blocking, the redundancy effect, and outcome base rate;Open Journal of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience;2021-03-17

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