Abstract
Learning to discriminate stimuli can alter how one distinguishes related stimuli. For instance, training an individual to differentiate between two stimuli along a single dimension can alter how that individual generalizes learned responses. In this study, we examined the persistence of shifts in generalization gradients after training with sounds. University students were trained to differentiate two sounds that varied along a complex acoustic dimension. The students were subsequently tested on their ability to recognize a sound that they had experienced during training when it was presented among several novel sounds varying along this same dimension. Peak shift was observed in Experiment 1, in which generalization tests immediately followed training, and in Experiment 2, in which the tests were delayed by 24 h. These findings further support the universality of generalization processes across species, modalities, and levels of stimulus complexity. They also raise new questions about the mechanisms underlying learning-related shifts in generalization gradients. The sound stimuli from this study are available as .wav files from http://lb.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.
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This research was made possible by support from National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH67952 and National Science Foundation Science of Learning Center Grant SBE 0542013 to the Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center. We thank Estella H. Liu for her help in analysis and stimuli creation, and Laura Buckley, Loren Mallen, and Sara Rought for help carrying out the experiments. Thanks to David Smith and Peter Pfordresher for their guidance in developing the experimental design and data analyses and for providing useful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. We also thank Jonathon Crystal and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback on several versions of the manuscript.
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Wisniewski, M.G., Church, B.A. & Mercado, E. Learning-related shifts in generalization gradients for complex sounds. Learning & Behavior 37, 325–335 (2009). https://doi.org/10.3758/LB.37.4.325
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/LB.37.4.325