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Can associated stimuli indirectly retrieve a response from another paired stimulus? A test for transfer of associations and indirect retrieval using a contingency learning task

Mrudula Arunkumar, Klaus Rothermund, & Carina G. Giesen

If a stimulus is contingently paired with a particular response, this impacts on performance and typically yields benefits (costs) for contingent (noncontingent) stimulus-response pairings. Contingency learning can be explained by stimulus-based episodic retrieval of past responses. However, it is yet unresolved whether response retrieval can also be triggered by another stimulus that was never directly paired with the response, but is only associated with the former stimulus. From the classical conditioning literature, this is demonstrated by the concept of sensory preconditioning. We investigated the phenomenon of indirect retrieval in a contingency learning paradigm. Phase I: Two words were associated with each other (S1-S2 pairings). Phase II: S2 was contingently paired with a response (S2-R pairings). Phase III then tested contingency learning for S2 (manipulation check) and S1 (test for indirect retrieval) in a forced-choice task (study 1) and a free-choice task (study 2). We will discuss the findings of our studies, which will further extend our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying learning effects.