Factors Impacting Emergence of Behavioral Control by Underselected Stimuli in Humans After Reduction of Control by Overselected Stimuli

Abstract

Stimulus overselectivity occurs when only one of potentially many aspects of the environment controls behavior. Adult participants were trained and tested on a trial-and-error discrimination learning task while engaging in a concurrent load task, and overselectivity emerged. When responding to the overselected stimulus was reduced by reinforcing a novel stimulus in the presence of the previously overselected stimulus in a second trial-and-error discrimination task, behavioral control by the underselected stimulus became stronger. However, this result was only found under certain circumstances: when there was substantial overselectivity in the first training phase; when control by the underselected stimulus in the first phase was particularly low; and when there was effective reduction in the behavioral control exerted by the previously overselected stimuli. The emergence of behavioral control by the underselected stimulus suggests that overselectivity is not simply due to an attention deficit, because for the emergence to occur, the stimuli must have been attended to and learned about in the training phase; but that a range of additional learning factors may play a role.

The effect of stimulus duration on over-selectivity: Evidence for the role of within-compound associations.

“…However, as the opportunities to pay due attention to both elements of the compound increase (either because of the lack of cognitive load or because of the increased stimulus duration), the over-selectivity effect disappears. However, the findings of retrospective revaluation in Experiments 2 and 3 entirely discredit the attention deficit perspective because in order for the initially under-selected stimulus to re-emerge and Running Head: STIMULUS OVER-SELECTIVITY AND CS DURATION control behaviour, it would have had to have been attended to in initial training (see also Broomfield et al, 2010). Alternatively, the findings can be accounted for by a variant of the comparator hypothesis (e.g., Denniston, et al, 2001;Matzel et al, 1985;Miller & Matzel, 1988;.…”

“…The over-selectivity effect is observed across many disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; Hedbring & Newsom, 1985;Koegel & Wilhelm, 1973;Lovaas & Schreibman, 1971;Schreibman & Lovaas, 1973), learning disabilities (Bailey, 1981;Gersten, 1983;Schneider & Salzberg, 1982;Wilhelm & Lovaas, 1976), acquired neurological damage (Wayland & Taplin, 1982, as well as in the elderly (Kelly, Leader, & Reed, 2016;McHugh & Reed, 2007). Over-selectivity has also been observed in intellectually typical adults undergoing high cognitive demands, or a concurrent and distracting activity (Broomfield, McHugh, & Reed, 2008a, 2008b2010;Reynolds & Reed, 2011a, 2011b.…”

Factors producing over-selectivity in older individuals

“…4 Mean percentage change from the test to the re-test phase for the most and least-selected stimuli in the experimental and control groups across the three age groups. Error bars = 95 % confidence intervals research exploring the effects of increased cognitive load on levels of over-selectivity in a non-clinical population (Broomfield et al 2010;Reed and Gibson 2005;Reynolds and Reed 2011a, b;Reynolds et al 2012). In addition, an age trend in over-selective responding emerged, where overselectivity increased as a function of chronological age.…”

“…This is the same distractor task used by Reed and Gibson (2005) and McHugh and Reed (2007). Previous research investigating over-selectivity in typically developing adults has demonstrated that adding a distractor task can induce higher levels of over-selective responding (Reed and Gibson 2005;Broomfield et al 2010;Reynolds et al 2012;Reynolds and Reed 2011a, b).…”

Effect of a surprising downward shift in reinforcer value on stimulus over-selectivity in a simultaneous discrimination procedure

“…Previous research (e.g., Broomfield, McHugh, & Reed, 2010;Leader, Loughnane, McMoreland, & Reed, 2009;Mchugh & Reed, 2007;Reed & Gibson, 2005;Reed et al, 2009;Reynolds & Reed, 2011a, 2011b has provided participants with verbal feedback (rather than points feedback) after selection of the stimuli, in the form of 'yes' or 'correct', for selecting the reinforced compound (e.g., AB), and 'no' or 'incorrect', for selecting the punished compound (e.g., CD). Research employing verbal feedback (e.g., Reynolds & Reed, 2011a, 2011b indicates less over-selectivity than the current research that utilizes a points based system.…”