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The Propositional Nature of Human Associative Learning

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The Propositional Nature of Human Associative Learning BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (2009) 32, 183–246 Printed in the United States of America doi:10.1017/S0140525X09000855 The propositional nature of human associative learning Chris J. Mitchell School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Kensington 2052, Australia [email protected] http://www.psy.unsw.edu.au/profiles/cmitchell.html Jan De Houwer Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium [email protected] http://users.ugent.be/~jdhouwer/ Peter F. Lovibond School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Kensington 2052, Australia [email protected] http://www.psy.unsw.edu.au/profiles/plovibond.html Abstract: The past 50 years have seen an accumulation of evidence suggesting that associative learning depends on high-level cognitive processes that give rise to propositional knowledge. Yet, many learning theorists maintain a belief in a learning mechanism in which links between mental representations are formed automatically. We characterize and highlight the differences between the propositional and link approaches, and review the relevant empirical evidence. We conclude that learning is the consequence of propositional reasoning processes that cooperate with the unconscious processes involved in memory retrieval and perception. We argue that this new conceptual framework allows many of the important recent advances in associative learning research to be retained, but recast in a model that provides a firmer foundation for both immediate application and future research. Keywords: association; associative link; automatic; awareness; conditioning; controlled; dual-system; human associative learning; propositional 1. Introduction of food. The biologically neutral bell is usually referred to as a conditioned stimulus (CS), and the biologically rel- The idea that behavior is determined by two independent evant food (to a hungry dog) is referred to as an uncondi- and potentially competing systems has been used repeat- tioned stimulus (US). Most contemporary animal learning edly in psychology (see Evans [2008] for a recent review theorists now consider that the dogs salivated on hearing of some of these ideas). The diversity of research areas the bell because a link formed between the mental rep- in which this idea has been reproduced is striking. It resentations of the bell (CS) and food (US). This link includes, for example, fear learning (e.g., O¨ hman & allowed the presentation of the bell to activate the Mineka 2001), memory (e.g., Schacter 1987), reasoning mental representation of food (see Fig. 1) and, therefore, (e.g., Evans 2003), decision making (e.g., Kahneman & produce salivation in much the same way as would actual Frederick 2002), and the activation of attitudes (e.g., presentation of the US itself. Wilson et al. 2000). In each case, one system is generally It is clear from this description of Pavlov’s (1927) hugely characterized as conscious, cold, and calculating; the influential work, that the term associative learning has two other, as unconscious, affective, and intuitive. In this meanings. These meanings are often confused. The first target article, we reconsider (and reject) one of the refers to a phenomenon – the capacity possessed by a oldest and most deeply entrenched dual-system theories broad range of organisms to learn that two or more in the behavioral sciences, namely the traditional view of events in the world are related to one another. That is, associative learning as an unconscious, automatic process one event may refer to, signal, or cause the other. This that is divorced from higher-order cognition. meaning of associative learning is silent as to the psycho- The classic empirical demonstration of associative learn- logical mechanism responsible for learning. The second ing comes from Pavlov (1927). He presented his dogs with meaning of associative learning does specify a psychologi- a ringing bell followed by food delivery. As a consequence, cal mechanism. This mechanism is the formation of links the dogs would salivate on hearing the sound of the bell, between mental representations of physical stimuli as even in the absence of food. This shows that Pavlov’s illustrated in Figure 1. The links are said to be formed pas- dogs learned to associate the bell with the presentation sively and automatically as a direct consequence of # 2009 Cambridge University Press 0140-525X/09 $40.00 183 Mitchell et al.: The propositional nature of human associative learning links are formed. In order to distinguish the two main approaches to theorizing about mechanisms of associative learning, we refer descriptively to the automatic link-for- mation mechanism and its alternative, the propositional approach. Figure 1. Elipses indicate mental representations (of the bell A core difference between the two approaches (prop- and the food). The arrow between the two elipses indicates the ositional and link-based) is related to the way in which mental link formed as a consequence of bell-food pairings. The knowledge is assumed to be represented. As Shanks bell ringing produces salivation because it activates the mental (2007, p. 294) points out, propositional representations: representation of food, which, in turn, produces salivation. have internal semantic or propositional structure in the same way that language does. The English sentences “John chased Mary” and “Mary chased John” have the same elements but contiguous (with some restrictions) pairings of those phys- do not mean the same thing as they are internally structured ical stimuli. These mental links then allow the presentation in different ways. The alternative to such propositional or cog- of one stimulus to activate the representation of – that is, nitive representations is an association that simply connects bring to mind – the other stimulus. Many researchers the mental images of a pair of events in such a way that acti- assume that learning about the relationships between vation of one image causes activation (or inhibition) of the events in the environment (the phenomenon) takes place other. via the formation of links between mental representations Dickinson (1980, p. 85) similarly describes “an excit- of those events (the mechanism). Our target article argues atory link which has no other property than that of trans- against this position and aims to show that associative mitting excitation from one event representation to learning results, not from the automatic formation of another.” links, but from the operation of controlled reasoning pro- These quotes reveal that a proposition differs from a cesses. These processes result in beliefs about the world in link in that it specifies the way in which events are the form of propositions, rather than simply links that related. For instance, a proposition can specify that the allow one representation to activate another. Hence, in bell signals food. In contrast, a link between represen- the context of the present argument, the term “associative tations only allows activation to pass between those rep- learning” refers to the ability to learn about relationships resentations. The link itself has no representational between events, not to a mechanism by which mental content; there is nothing stored to indicate the nature of the relationship between the stimuli (Fodor 2003). This means that a proposition has a truth value (see CHRIS MITCHELL is senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales. From 1991–1997 he investigated Strack & Deutsch 2004), but a link does not. That is, a associative learning in rats at University College proposition can be shown to be true or false. In the London. He then worked at Unilever Research, Port case above, it can be demonstrated that the bell does or Sunlight, as a consumer psychologist, before returning does not signal food. A link cannot be shown to be true to academia in 2000 to pursue his interests in attention, or false because it does not represent any particular memory, and associative learning. He has published in relationship between the bell and food. the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Beha- Proponents of the automatic link mechanism do not vior Processes, the Journal of Experimental Psychology: deny that propositional reasoning processes can generate Learning, Memory, and Cognition, and the Journal of knowledge of relationships between events in the world. Experimental Psychology: General. He is an Associate Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Experimental However, they argue that the link-formation mechanism Psychology. is able to produce learning independently and in an auto- matic manner. This point has already been made by JAN DE HOUWER is Professor of Psychology at Ghent Shanks (2007). As he says, University. He is the author of over 100 publications It is important to realise that when arguing for a contribution in the field of experimental psychology, including pub- of associative processes, supporters of this approach have lications in Psychological Bulletin and the Journal of never denied that rational causal thinking takes place ... Experimental Psychology: General. His main research Rather, the question is whether all causal thought is of this interest is the manner in which spontaneous (auto- form, or whether instead there might be a separate type of matic) preferences are learned and can be measured. thinking (associative) when people make intuitive judgments He is Editor of Cognition and Emotion and was Laure- under conditions of less reflection. (Shanks 2007, p. 297) ate
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