creators_name: Ghirlanda, Stefano
type: journalp
datestamp: 2006-12-12
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:44
metadata_visibility: show
title: Retrospective revaluation as simple associative learning
ispublished: pub
subjects: bio-etho
subjects: bio-ani-cog
subjects: comp-psy
subjects: comp-sci-neural-nets
subjects: bio-ani-behav
full_text_status: public
keywords: stimulus control, retrospective revaluation, neural networks, backward blocking, external inhibition, unowershadowing, backward conditioned inhibition
abstract: Backward blocking, unovershadowing and backward conditioned inhibition are examples of "retrospective revaluation" phenomena, that have been suggested to involve more than simple associative learning. Models of these phenomena have thus employed additional concepts, e.g. appealing to attentional effects or more elaborate learning mechanisms. I show that a suitable representation of stimuli, paired with a careful analysis of the discriminations faced by animals, leads to an account of these and other phenomena in terms of a simple "elemental" model of associative learning, with essentially the same learning mechanism as the Rescorla and Wagner (1972) model. I conclude with a discussion of some implications for theories of learning.

date: 2005
date_type: published
publication: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes
volume: 31
pagerange: 107-111
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Ghirlanda, Stefano  (2005) Retrospective revaluation as simple associative learning.  [Journal (Paginated)]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/5298/1/ghirlanda05.pdf