Extinction in human learning and memory

Alana L. Scully, Chris J. Mitchell

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In two experiments, participants were given extinction training in a human causal learning task. In both experiments, three critical experimental cues were paired with different outcomes in a first phase of training and were then extinguished in a second phase. Three control cues were given the same treatment in the first phase of training, but were not then presented in the second phase. Participants' ability to correctly identify the outcome with which each cue had been paired in the first phase was lower for extinguished than for control cues. Causal attributions to the extinguished cues were also lower than those to the control cues, a difference that correlated with outcome memory. These data are consistent with the idea that extinction in causal judgement is due, at least in part, to a failure to remember the cue-outcome relationship encoded in the first phase of training.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1472-1478
    Number of pages7
    JournalQuarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
    Volume61
    Issue number10
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Keywords

    • Causal judgement
    • Causal learning
    • Extinction
    • Learning
    • Memory

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