Stimulus Generalization In Two Associative Learning Processes

Recent studies involving nonlinear discrimination problems suggest that stimuli in human associative learning are represented configurally with narrow generalization, such that presentation of stimuli that are even slightly dissimilar to stored configurations weakly activate these configurations. This study we note that another well-known set of findings in human associative learning, cue-interaction phenomena, suggest relatively broad generalization.Nonlinear discrimination and cue interaction are two important characteristics of human associative learning. Current models of associative learning explain nonlinear discrimination by assuming that people store stimulus information configural. These configural models can also explain cue interaction but only to the extent that they allow for broad generalization between stimuli. However, recent research on nonlinear discrimination problems suggests that human associative learning is sometimes characterized by relatively narrow generalization. These results can not be explained by Pearce's popular configural model, which has a fixed intermediate level of generalization. Kruschke's ALCOVE model can accommodate both the broad generalization and the narrow generalization, but it does not predit a priori when...