Generalization of learned variability across multiple dimensions in humans

Kong, X; McEwan, JS; Bizo, LA; Foster, MT

Generalization of learned variability across multiple dimensions in humans

Kong, X McEwan, JS Bizo, LA

Foster, MT

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Behavioural Processes, 2019, 158 pp. 32 - 40
Issue Date:: 2019-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Kong, X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McEwan, JS	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Bizo, LA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6030-6149	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Foster, MT	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2020-04-03T00:51:02Z
dc.date.available	2018-10-29	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-04-03T00:51:02Z
dc.date.issued	2019-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Behavioural Processes, 2019, 158 pp. 32 - 40	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0376-6357	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/139756
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 Elsevier B.V. This study examined whether trained variability would generalize across dimensions of the target response. Two experiments used a computerized rectangle drawing task that required participants to click and drag a mouse cursor to create rectangles on a computer screen. In Experiment 1, one group received points when successive rectangles varied in their size, shape and location (VAR), another group were yoked to the VAR group and received points that were allocated to them using a yoking procedure (YOKE), regardless of the variability in the size, shape or location of the rectangle drawn. Variability was higher for a dimension when variability on that dimension was directly reinforced. In Experiment 2, three groups of participants received points when rectangles varied on two dimensions; each group differed in the two dimensions that required variation. Variability was again higher for the reinforced dimensions for two of the three groups. Comparison with the YOKE group showed that the variability on those dimensions where variability was not directly reinforced was affected by reinforcement for variability on the other dimensions. Specifically, the variability in Shape and Location was significantly higher when these two dimensions occurred with other dimensions where variability was reinforced (as in Experiment 2) compared to when they were not required to vary (as in the YOKE group). This suggests that, for these two groups, the reinforced variability on the other two dimensions generalized to the third dimension. Implications of this finding to our understanding of factors that promote behavioral variability are discussed.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Behavioural Processes	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.020	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Pharmacology & Pharmacy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Learning	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Generalization (Psychology)	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Reinforcement (Psychology)	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Psychomotor Performance	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Generalization, Psychological	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Reinforcement, Psychology	en_US
dc.title	Generalization of learned variability across multiple dimensions in humans	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	158	en_US
utslib.for	0801 Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing	en_US
utslib.for	1701 Psychology	en_US
utslib.for	1702 Cognitive Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	158	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. This study examined whether trained variability would generalize across dimensions of the target response. Two experiments used a computerized rectangle drawing task that required participants to click and drag a mouse cursor to create rectangles on a computer screen. In Experiment 1, one group received points when successive rectangles varied in their size, shape and location (VAR), another group were yoked to the VAR group and received points that were allocated to them using a yoking procedure (YOKE), regardless of the variability in the size, shape or location of the rectangle drawn. Variability was higher for a dimension when variability on that dimension was directly reinforced. In Experiment 2, three groups of participants received points when rectangles varied on two dimensions; each group differed in the two dimensions that required variation. Variability was again higher for the reinforced dimensions for two of the three groups. Comparison with the YOKE group showed that the variability on those dimensions where variability was not directly reinforced was affected by reinforcement for variability on the other dimensions. Specifically, the variability in Shape and Location was significantly higher when these two dimensions occurred with other dimensions where variability was reinforced (as in Experiment 2) compared to when they were not required to vary (as in the YOKE group). This suggests that, for these two groups, the reinforced variability on the other two dimensions generalized to the third dimension. Implications of this finding to our understanding of factors that promote behavioral variability are discussed.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/139756