Sequential and Simultaneous Contingency Learning: Same or Different? Integrating the Serial Response Time Task, Artificial Grammar Learning, Evaluative Conditioning, and the Flanker Task into a Single Paradigm
Tue—Casino_1.801—Poster2—5206
Presented by: Sarah Wilts
Models of contingency learning, particularly implicit learning, propose that implicit and explicit learning mechanisms rely either on a single system or on multiple systems. These models further examine how task characteristics, such as the temporal order and attentional relevance of contingent stimuli, shape learning. This study explores whether four learning paradigms can be integrated into a unified framework, considering the effects of temporal order and attention. Temporal order was varied by presenting contingencies either simultaneous within a trial, as in the flanker task and evaluative conditioning, or sequential between trials as in the serial response time task and artificial grammar learning. Attention was manipulated by using contingencies that were either more response-relevant, as in the flanker task and serial response time task, or more response-irrelevant, as in evaluative conditioning and artificial grammar learning. This 2x2 research design combines four commonly used learning paradigms, enabling a systematic evaluation of temporal and attentional influences on (implicit) learning. Preliminary findings reveal differential effects of these factors across paradigms: Artificial grammar learning occurred regardless of temporal or attentional task demands, whereas evaluative conditioning and the flanker task required focused attention on the simultaneous contingency presentation to produce learning effects.
Keywords: implicit learning, serial response time task, artificial grammar learning, evaluative conditioning, flanker task