Department of Psychology, The University of Sydney.
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2020 Oct;46(10):1807-1827. doi: 10.1037/xlm0000848. Epub 2020 May 4.
Failure to learn and generalize abstract relational rules has critical implications for education. In this study, we aimed to determine which training conditions facilitate relational transfer in a relatively simple (patterning) discrimination versus a relatively complex (biconditional) discrimination. The amount of training participants received had little influence on rates of relational transfer. Instead, trial-sequencing of the training contingencies influenced relational transfer in different ways depending on the complexity of the discrimination. Clustering instances of relational rules together during training improved transfer of both simpler patterning and more difficult biconditional rules, regardless of individual differences in cognitive reflection. However, blocking all trials of the same type together improved rule transfer only for biconditional discriminations. Individual differences in cognitive reflection were also more predictive of relational rule use under suboptimal training conditions. The results highlight the need for comprehensive accounts of relational learning to consider how learning conditions and individual differences affect the likelihood of engaging in learning relational structures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
未能学习和概括抽象关系规则对教育具有重要意义。在这项研究中，我们旨在确定哪些训练条件有利于在相对简单（模式识别）的辨别与相对复杂（双条件）的辨别之间进行关系转移。参与者接受的训练量对关系转移的速度影响很小。相反，训练条件的试验顺序根据辨别任务的复杂程度以不同的方式影响关系转移。在训练过程中，将关系规则的实例聚类在一起可以提高简单模式识别和更困难的双条件规则的转移，而与认知反射的个体差异无关。然而，将同一类型的所有试验一起分组仅能提高双条件辨别任务的规则转移。认知反射的个体差异在次优训练条件下对关系规则的使用也更具预测性。结果强调了需要对关系学习进行全面的解释，以考虑学习条件和个体差异如何影响参与学习关系结构的可能性。
