Examining the impact of cue similarity and fear learning on perceptual tuning.

ABSTRACT: Past research on the effects of associative aversive learning on discrimination acuity has shown mixed results, including increases, decreases, and no changes in discrimination ability. An animal study found that the type of learning experience determined the direction and extent of learning-induced changes. The current preregistered web-based study aimed to translate these findings to humans. Experiment 1 (N = 245) compared changes in stimulus discrimination between simple learning (only one oriented grating cue), coarse differential conditioning (physically distinct cues), and fine differential conditioning (physically similar cues) as well as to their three respective control groups. The discrimination task consisted of a two-alternative-forced-choice task with oriented grating stimuli.

SUBMITTER: Zaman J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10415342 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature