Incidental sequence learning in humans: Predictions of an associative account - COLSEQ_FY_IPLM_004

Abstract

We wanted to put colour learning and sequence learning in competition to see what sort of cue competition effects we would observe. This is a replication of a study conducted in the lab by RP McLaren whereby stimuli on screen follow a sequence (or not) and participants can therefore learn about the sequential contingencies to make them faster and more accurate at responding. Participants can also use a cue (the colour of a different on screen square stimulus that precedes the response stimuli) to predict the location of a response and therefore the two (sequential versus cue-response) were .

As in the previous COLSEQ experiments, we wanted to put colour learning and sequence learning in competition to see what sort of cue competition effects we would observe. However, we had found that no colour learning was occurring due to a confound in the way that the scripts were written (see Yeates et al 2013 Cog Sci paper for full explanation). After running a new version of the COLOUR experiments (COLOUR_FY_IPL_010) where the circle flashed up with the central colour (instead of white as in the original experiments) and without the confound we were able to produce colour learning without awareness. This experiment is therefore to ascertain how much the groups: Dual (colour+sequence), Sequence, and Colour learn.