Temporal contiguity determines overshadowing and potentiation of human Action-Outcome performance

Alcalá, José A.; Kirkden, Richard D.; Bray, Jess; Prados, José; Urcelay, Gonzalo P.

Abstract

Three experiments (n = 81, n = 81, n = 82, respectively) explored how temporal contiguity influences Action-Outcome learning, assessing whether an intervening signal competed, facilitated, or had no effect on performance and causal attribution in undergraduate participants. Across experiments, we observed competition and facilitation as a function of the temporal contiguity between Action and Outcome. When there was a strong temporal relationship between Action and Outcome, the signal competed with the action, hindering instrumental performance but not causal attribution (Experiments 1 and 3). However, with weak temporal contiguity, the same signal facilitated both instrumental performance and causal attribution (Experiments 1 and 2). Finally, the physical intensity of the signal determined the magnitude of competition. As anticipated by associative learning models, a more salient signal attenuated to a greater extent instrumental performance (Experiment 3). These results are discussed by reference to a recent adaptation of the configural theory of learning.

Citation

Alcalá, J. A., Kirkden, R. D., Bray, J., Prados, J., & Urcelay, G. P. (2022). Temporal contiguity determines overshadowing and potentiation of human Action-Outcome performance. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-022-02155-4

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 17, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Aug 11, 2022
• Publication Date: Aug 11, 2022
• Deposit Date: Aug 12, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 15, 2022
• Journal: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review
• Print ISSN: 1069-9384
• Electronic ISSN: 1531-5320
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-022-02155-4
• Keywords: Cue competition · Overshadowing · Potentiation · Temporal contiguity · Action-outcome
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/9905075
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-022-02155-4
• Additional Information: The version of record of this article, first published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-022-02155-4