Implicit Misattribution as a Mechanism Underlying Evaluative Conditioning

Abstract

Evaluative conditioning (EC) refers to the formation or change of an attitude towards an object following that object's pairing with positively or negatively valenced stimuli. We provide evidence that EC can occur through an implicit misattribution mechanism in which an evaluative response evoked by a valenced stimulus is incorrectly and implicitly attributed to another stimulus, forming or changing an attitude towards this other stimulus. Five studies measured or manipulated variables related to the potential for the misattribution of an evaluation, or "source confusability." Greater EC was observed when participants' eye gaze shifted frequently between a valenced and neutral stimulus (Studies 1 & 2), when the two stimuli appeared in close spatial proximity (Study 3), and when the neutral stimulus was made more perceptually salient than the valenced stimulus due to its larger size (Study 4). In other words, conditions conducive to source confusability increased EC. Study 5 provided evidence for multiple mechanisms of EC by comparing the effects of mildly evocative valenced stimuli (those evoking responses that might more easily be misattributed to another object) to more strongly evocative stimuli.

Evaluative conditioning in humans: A meta-analysis.

“…This prediction, however, is unsupported by the present finding that EC effects are relatively unaffected by variables related to feature overlap (i.e., a priori CS-US match, CS-US modality match). This does not imply that implicit misattribution or conceptual categorization may not operate in EC at all (for empirical support, see Jones et al, 2009). However, it is questionable whether implicit misattribution or conceptual categorization as explanatory mechanisms are by themselves strong and general enough to account for the full range of the present meta-analytic evidence.…”

“…According to these models, CS-US associations are formed and influence liking in an automatic manner, that is, regardless of whether participants are aware of the CS-US contingency. From the perspective of the misattribution account, the observed positive relation between contingency awareness and EC effects even goes in the opposite direction of what would be expected if one assumes that contingency awareness may offset the misattribution mechanism (Jones et al, 2009). The strong impact that contingency awareness has on EC is, however, entirely in line with a propositional account of EC.…”

“…• EC independent of contingency awareness • EC resistant to extinction Implicit misattribution account (Jones, Fazio, & Olson, 2009) Automatic formation of associations between CS representation and evaluative response evoked by US…”

“…Recently, Jones, Fazio, and Olson (2009) proposed a misattribution theory that has much in common with the holistic account of Martin and Levey (1978). According to Jones et al, it is the evaluative reaction evoked by the US that becomes associated with the CS.…”

“…Jones et al indeed observed an impact of a number of these variables, including spatial proximity (i.e., feelings are more likely to be attributed to CSs that are close in space to a US). The misattribution account also predicts that increasing degrees of feature overlap between the US and the CS should render misattribution more likely (Jones et al, 2009). Hence, EC effects should be larger for stimuli matched in perceptual similarity and for stimuli of the same rather than a different modality.…”