title: Semisupervised category learning: the impact of feedback in learning the information-integration task.
abstract: In a standard supervised classification paradigm, stimuli are presented sequentially, participants make a classification, and feedback follows immediately. In this article, we use a semisupervised classification paradigm, in which feedback is given after a prespecified percentage of trials only. In Experiment 1, feedback was given in 100%, 0%, 25%, and 50% of the trials. Previous research reported by Ashby, Queller, and Berretty (1999) indicated that in an information-integration task, perfect accuracy was obtained supervised (100%) but not unsupervised (0%). Our results show that in both the 100% and 50% conditions, participants were able to achieve maximum accuracy. However, in the 0% and the 25% conditions, participants failed to learn. To discover the influence of the no-feedback trials on the learning process, the 50% condition was replicated in Experiment 2, substituting unrelated filler trials for the no-feedback trials. The results indicated that accuracy rates were similar, suggesting no impact of the no-feedback trials on the learning process. The possibility of ever learning in a 25% setting was also researched in Experiment 2. Using twice as many trials, the results showed that all but 2 participants succeeded, suggesting that only the total number of feedback trials is important. The impact of the semisupervised learning results for ALCOVE, COVIS, and SPEED models is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. katleen.vandist@ugent.be
authors.forename: Katleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vandist
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Schryver
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rosseel
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning; D001288:Attention; D003657:Decision Making; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D055815:Young Adult