Learning the Structure of Event Sequences

Abstract

How is complex sequential material acquired, processed, and represented when there is no intention to learn? We report on two experiments exploring a choice reaction time task. Unbeknownst to subjects, successive stimuli followed a sequence derived from a noisy finite-state grammar. After considerable practice (60,000 exposures) with Experiment 1, subjects acquired a complex body of procedural knowledge about the sequential structure of the material. Experiment 2 attempted to identify limits on subjects' ability to encode the temporal context by using more distant contingencies that spanned irrelevant material. Taken together, the results indicate that subjects become increasingly sensitive to the temporal context set by previous elements of the sequence, up to three elements. Responses are also affected by priming effects from recent trials. A PDP model that incorporates sensitivity to the sequential structure and to priming effects is shown to capture key aspects of both acquisition and processing. (jes)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 11, 1990
Accession Number
ADA225722

Entities

People

  • Axel Cleeremans
  • James McClelland

Organizations

  • Carnegie Mellon University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Classification
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Science
  • Computer Science
  • Experimental Data
  • Grammars
  • Identification
  • Information Processing
  • New York
  • Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Regression Analysis
  • Simulations
  • United States
  • Universities

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Speech Processing/Speech Recognition.
  • Systems Analysis and Design