Is Evaluative Conditioning Effector Specific?
Wed-P3-Poster III-404
Presented by: Tarini Singh
Evaluative Conditioning (EC) refers to changes in the liking of a stimulus due to its association with other positive or negative stimuli. While traditional accounts of EC focus on stimulus associations as the mechanism, newer accounts based on action control theories, have shown associations between stimuli and responses as a mechanism of EC. According to action control theories, stimulus and response features are integrated, or bound, together in episodic traces (e.g., event files or instances). This integration can result, for instance, in the transfer of the valence of a response to a neutral stimulus, thus leading to EC effects. However, to date, most studies have implemented hand responses in EC research. Action control theories indicate that response features are associated with stimulus features regardless of the specific effector. However, among other differences, most of our interactions with objects are with our hands, and thus, one possibility is that hand responses may be more likely to naturally reflect preferences or valence learning than foot responses. In order to test this question, the present study implemented a design similar to Blask et al., (2016) but with feet as effectors. Participants learned to associate responses with a specific valence, after which they responded to conditioned stimuli (CS). In order to test the valence transfer, participants underwent a compatibility task and in order to test for EC effects participants expressed their preference for the CS on rating scale. Results are discussed against the background of action control theories and evaluative conditioning literature.
Keywords: evaluative conditioning, action control, stimulus-response binding