Inference-based retrospective revaluation in human causal judgments requires knowledge of within-compound relationships.
In an allergist causal-judgment task, food compounds were followed by an allergic reaction (e.g., AB+), and then 1 cue (A) was revalued. Experiment 1, in which participants who were instructed that whatever was true about one element of a causal compound was also true of the other, showed a reverse of the standard retrospective revaluation effect. That is, ratings of B were higher when A was causal (A+) than when A was safe (A-). This effect was taken to reflect inferential reasoning, not an associative mechanism. In Experiment 2, within-compound associations were found to be necessary to produce this inference-based revaluation. Therefore, evidence that within-compound associations are necessary for retrospective revaluation is consistent with the inferential account of causal judgments.
Mitchell
Chris J
CJ
School of PsychologyUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. chris.mitchell@unsw.edu.au
Killedar
Asawari
A
Lovibond
Peter F
PF
D000485:Allergens; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D015984:Causality; D003463:Cues; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000523:psychology; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D019359:Knowledge; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000485:Allergens