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Alcalá JA, Ogallar PM, Prados J, Urcelay GP. Further evidence for the role of temporal contiguity as a determinant of overshadowing. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:1375-1389. [PMID: 37593972 PMCID: PMC11181734 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231197170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Three experiments explored whether weakening temporal contiguity between auditory cues and an aversive outcome attenuated cue competition in an avoidance learning task with human participants. Overall, with strong temporal contiguity between auditory cues and the outcome during training (the offset of the predictive auditory signals concurred with the onset of the outcome), the target cue trained as part of a compound yielded less avoidance behaviour than the control cue trained alone, an instance of overshadowing. However, weakening temporal contiguity during training (inserting a 5-s trace) attenuated overshadowing, resulting in similar avoidance behaviour in response to the control and target cues. These results provide evidence that, as predicted by a recent modification of Pearce's configural theory, temporal contiguity is critical for determining cue competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Alcalá
- University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Piccardi L, Nori R, Cimadevilla JM, Kozhevnikov M. The Contribution of Internal and External Factors to Human Spatial Navigation. Brain Sci 2024; 14:585. [PMID: 38928585 PMCID: PMC11201702 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is a multifaceted cognitive function essential for planning and finding routes in one's environment [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Piccardi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- San Raffaele Cassino Hospital, 03043 Cassino, Italy
| | - Raffaella Nori
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Jose Manuel Cimadevilla
- Faculty of Psychology and Health Research Center, University of Almeria, 04120 Almería, Spain;
| | - María Kozhevnikov
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 17570, Singapore
- Martinos Canter for Biomedical Imaging, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
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Alcalá JA, Miller RR, Kirkden RD, Urcelay GP. Contiguity and overshadowing interactions in the rapid-streaming procedure. Learn Behav 2023; 51:482-501. [PMID: 37069410 PMCID: PMC10716097 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00582-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
When multiple cues are associated with the same outcome, organisms tend to select between the cues, with one revealing greater behavioral control at the expense of the others (i.e., cue competition). However, non-human and human studies have not always observed this competition, creating a puzzling scenario in which the interaction between cues can result in competition, no interaction, or facilitation as a function of several learning parameters. In five experiments, we assessed whether temporal contiguity and overshadowing effects are reliably observed in the streamed-trial procedure, and whether there was an interaction between them. We anticipated that weakening temporal contiguity (ranging from 500 to 1,000 ms) should attenuate competition. Using within-subject designs, participants experienced independent series of rapid streams in which they had to learn the relationship between visual cues (presented either alone or with another cue) and an outcome, with the cue-outcome pairings being presented with either a delay or trace relationship. Across experiments, we observed overshadowing (Experiments 1, 2, 4, and 5) and temporal contiguity effects (Experiments 2, 3, and 4). Despite the frequent occurrence of both effects, we did not find that trace conditioning abolished competition between cues. Overall, these results suggest that the extent to which contiguity determines cue interactions depends on multiple variables, some of which we address in the General discussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Alcalá
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ralph R Miller
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Richard D Kirkden
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Gonzalo P Urcelay
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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Telga M, Alcalá JA, Heyes C, Urcelay GP. Social overshadowing: Revisiting cue-competition in social interactions. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:1575-1585. [PMID: 36604374 PMCID: PMC10482779 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02229-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In a large variety of contexts, it is essential to use the available information to extract patterns and behave accordingly. When it comes to social interactions for instance, the information gathered about interaction partners across multiple encounters (e.g., trustworthiness) is crucial in guiding one's own behavior (e.g., approach the trustworthy and avoid the untrustworthy), a process akin to trial-by-trial learning. Building on associative learning and social cognition literatures, the present research adopts a domain-general approach to learning and explores whether the principles underlying associative learning also govern learning in social contexts. In particular, we examined whether overshadowing, a well-established cue-competition phenomenon, impacts learning of the cooperative behaviors of unfamiliar interaction partners. Across three experiments using an adaptation of the iterated Trust Game, we consistently observed a 'social overshadowing' effect, that is, a better learning about the cooperative tendencies of partners presented alone compared to those presented in a pair. This robust effect was not modulated by gender stereotypes or beliefs about the internal communication dynamics within a pair of partners. Drawing on these results, we argue that examining domain-general learning processes in social contexts is a useful approach to understanding human social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maïka Telga
- School of Management, University of St Andrews, Gateway Building, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9AJ, UK.
- University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
- University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
| | - José A Alcalá
- Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | | | - Gonzalo P Urcelay
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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Alcalá JA, Prados J, Urcelay GP. Category relevance attenuates overshadowing in human predictive learning. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY. ANIMAL LEARNING AND COGNITION 2023; 49:162-178. [PMID: 37439744 PMCID: PMC10339660 DOI: 10.1037/xan0000357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
In situations in which multiple predictors anticipate the presence or absence of an outcome, cues compete to anticipate the outcome, resulting in a loss of associative strength compared to control conditions without additional cues. Critically, there are multiple factors modulating the magnitude and direction of such competition, although in some scenarios the effect of these factors remains unexplored. We sought to assess whether the relative salience of the elements in a compound of cues modulates the magnitude of the overshadowing effect in human predictive learning. Two separable categories (i.e., colors and symbols) were used in a predictive learning task. In Experiment 1, different groups of participants were granted with different time of exposure to a compound of cues belonging to different categories (color and symbol) to evaluate potential differences in the magnitude of overshadowing. Furthermore, we used posttest questionnaires to assess whether participants used either only one or both categories during training, and assessed if this impacted the magnitude of overshadowing. In general, overshadowing was not modulated by the time of exposition, except in the case of very short time of exposition with prominent learning about the most salient category. In Experiment 2, the relative salience of a category was biased via prior experience either with a biconditional discrimination or attending only the relevant category (either color or symbol). The previously relevant category was less prone to overshadowing, but not the alternative one. Results are discussed in light of attentional and configural theories of associative learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Alcalá JA, Kirkden RD, Bray J, Prados J, Urcelay GP. Temporal contiguity determines overshadowing and potentiation of human Action-Outcome performance. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:350-361. [PMID: 35953666 PMCID: PMC9371369 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02155-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Three experiments (n = 81, n = 81, n = 82, respectively) explored how temporal contiguity influences Action-Outcome learning, assessing whether an intervening signal competed, facilitated, or had no effect on performance and causal attribution in undergraduate participants. Across experiments, we observed competition and facilitation as a function of the temporal contiguity between Action and Outcome. When there was a strong temporal relationship between Action and Outcome, the signal competed with the action, hindering instrumental performance but not causal attribution (Experiments 1 and 3). However, with weak temporal contiguity, the same signal facilitated both instrumental performance and causal attribution (Experiments 1 and 2). Finally, the physical intensity of the signal determined the magnitude of competition. As anticipated by associative learning models, a more salient signal attenuated to a greater extent instrumental performance (Experiment 3). These results are discussed by reference to a recent adaptation of the configural theory of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Alcalá
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Richard D Kirkden
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Jess Bray
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - José Prados
- School of Psychology, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - Gonzalo P Urcelay
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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