title: Lack of evidence for inhibitory processes in over-selectivity.
abstract: Stimulus over-selectivity can be defined as control over behavior being exerted by one aspect of the environment at the expense of other equally salient aspects of the environment, and is a common problem for discrimination learning under conditions of cognitive strain, and in intellectual disorders. Non-clinical participants exposed to a concurrent task load were trained and tested on a two-component trial-and-error discrimination task to investigate whether inhibition plays a role in producing under-selectivity by using both summation and retardation tests. Experiment 1 found evidence for the over-selectivity effect, and replicated the finding that revaluation of a previously over-selected stimulus allows emergence of control by a previous under-selected stimulus, despite the latter stimulus receiving no direct conditioning. The under-selected cue was not found to gain any conditioned inhibitory status, as reflected by summation (Experiment 2), and retardation (Experiment 3), tests. The results extend the literature explaining over-selectivity as a post-acquisition failure.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK. 478554@swansea.ac.uk
authors: Gemma
authors: G
authors: Reynolds
authors: Jodie
authors: J
authors: Watts
authors: Phil
authors: P
authors: Reed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation