title: Explaining compound generalization in associative and causal learning through rational principles of dimensional generalization.
abstract: How do we apply learning from one situation to a similar, but not identical, situation? The principles governing the extent to which animals and humans generalize what they have learned about certain stimuli to novel compounds containing those stimuli vary depending on a number of factors. Perhaps the best studied among these factors is the type of stimuli used to generate compounds. One prominent hypothesis is that different generalization principles apply depending on whether the stimuli in a compound are similar or dissimilar to each other. However, the results of many experiments cannot be explained by this hypothesis. Here, we propose a rational Bayesian theory of compound generalization that uses the notion of consequential regions, first developed in the context of rational theories of multidimensional generalization, to explain the effects of stimulus factors on compound generalization. The model explains a large number of results from the compound generalization literature, including the influence of stimulus modality and spatial contiguity on the summation effect, the lack of influence of stimulus factors on summation with a recovered inhibitor, the effect of spatial position of stimuli on the blocking effect, the asymmetrical generalization decrement in overshadowing and external inhibition, and the conditions leading to a reliable external inhibition effect. By integrating rational theories of compound and dimensional generalization, our model provides the first comprehensive computational account of the effects of stimulus factors on compound generalization, including spatial and temporal contiguity between components, which have posed long-standing problems for rational theories of associative and causal learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara.
authors.forename: Fabian A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
authors.forename: Samuel J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Gershman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Princeton University.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niv
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005793:Generalization, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1991 Sep;17(5):837-54
references.pmid: 1834767
references.citation: Dev Sci. 2007 May;10(3):288-97
references.pmid: 17444970
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 2004 Oct;57(4):315-29
references.pmid: 15513258
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Gen. 1988 Dec;117(4):347-70
references.pmid: 2974862
references.citation: Ann Neurosci. 2010 Jul;17(3):136-41
references.pmid: 25205891
references.citation: Biol Cybern. 1985;51(4):249-61
references.pmid: 3970985
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 2003 Feb;56(1):7-29
references.pmid: 12623534
references.citation: J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1969 Oct;69(2):226-31
references.pmid: 5404450
references.citation: J Exp Psychol. 1968 Feb;76(2):171-80
references.pmid: 5636557
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2010 Jan;117(1):197-209
references.pmid: 20063968
references.citation: Behav Processes. 2008 Jun;78(2):259-68
references.pmid: 18396379
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1983 Apr;9(2):242-57
references.pmid: 6221069
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1998 May;51(2):121-38
references.pmid: 9621838
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2006 Oct;113(4):677-99
references.pmid: 17014300
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 2002 Apr;55(2):121-35
references.pmid: 12075979
references.citation: Learn Behav. 2010 Nov;38(4):367-73
references.pmid: 21048227
references.citation: Nat Neurosci. 2000 Nov;3 Suppl:1218-23
references.pmid: 11127841
references.citation: Cogn Psychol. 2011 Dec;63(4):173-209
references.pmid: 21937008
references.citation: Percept Psychophys. 1990 Aug;48(2):169-78
references.pmid: 2385491
references.citation: Cogn Sci. 2008 Dec;32(8):1285-303
references.pmid: 21585454
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2010 Apr;36(2):194-205
references.pmid: 20384400
references.citation: Behav Processes. 2008 Mar;77(3):413-27; discussion 451-3
references.pmid: 18031954
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2008 Apr;34(2):356-75
references.pmid: 18377176
references.citation: Psychophysiology. 2003 Mar;40(2):226-34
references.pmid: 12820863
references.citation: Learn Behav. 2008 Aug;36(3):253-65
references.pmid: 18683469
references.citation: Anim Learn Behav. 2002 May;30(2):73-95
references.pmid: 12141138
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1987 Jan;94(1):61-73
references.pmid: 3823305
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1994 Oct;101(4):587-607
references.pmid: 7984708
references.citation: Behav Processes. 2000 Aug 17;50(2-3):65-78
references.pmid: 10969184
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2006 Sep;59(9):1524-34
references.pmid: 16873106
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2006 Jul;59(7):1212-23
references.pmid: 16769621
references.citation: Cogn Sci. 2012 Mar;36(2):187-223
references.pmid: 22141440
references.citation: Cognition. 2007 May;103(2):180-226
references.pmid: 16678145
references.citation: Acta Psychol (Amst). 2010 Mar;133(3):256-68
references.pmid: 19959157
references.citation: Learn Behav. 2005 May;33(2):147-59
references.pmid: 16075835
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1986 Apr;93(2):154-79
references.pmid: 3714926
references.citation: Neural Comput. 2008 Nov;20(11):2597-628
references.pmid: 18533818
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2006 Jul;113(3):584-605
references.pmid: 16802882
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2007 Jul;114(3):539-76
references.pmid: 17638496
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1991 Aug;43(3):233-56
references.pmid: 1947200
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1992 Apr;18(2):145-53
references.pmid: 1583444
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1980 Jul;6(3):207-16
references.pmid: 6153051
references.citation: J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1968 Aug;66(1):1-5
references.pmid: 5672628
references.citation: Behav Brain Res. 2000 Jun 1;110(1-2):67-72
references.pmid: 10802304
references.citation: Percept Psychophys. 1997 May;59(4):623-35
references.pmid: 9158336
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Gen. 1996 Dec;125(4):370-86
references.pmid: 8945788
references.citation: Cogn Psychol. 2005 Dec;51(4):334-84
references.pmid: 16168981
references.citation: Behav Processes. 2008 Mar;77(3):299-305
references.pmid: 17766058
references.citation: Mem Cognit. 1990 Sep;18(5):537-45
references.pmid: 2233266
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1995 Feb;48(1):32-45
references.pmid: 7740124
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1989 Oct;15(4):295-310
references.pmid: 2794867
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1976 Jan;2(1):88-96
references.pmid: 1249526
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1980 Mar;87(2):351-78
references.pmid: 7375603
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2010 Oct;117(4):1144-67
references.pmid: 21038975
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1988 May;40(2):163-80
references.pmid: 2841722
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2008 Oct;115(4):955-84
references.pmid: 18954210
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1996 Feb;49(1):60-80
references.pmid: 8901386
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2002 Jul;109(3):533-44
references.pmid: 12088244
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1988 Nov;40(4):377-410
references.pmid: 3212214
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 2004 Oct;57(4):361-79
references.pmid: 15513261
references.citation: Behav Brain Sci. 2001 Aug;24(4):629-40; discussion 652-791
references.pmid: 12048947
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2009 May;62(5):877-89
references.pmid: 19048450
references.citation: Q J Exp Psychol B. 1989 Nov;41(4):355-68
references.pmid: 2595007
references.citation: Anim Learn Behav. 2002 Aug;30(3):177-200
references.pmid: 12391785
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1972 Sep;78(3):189-208
references.pmid: 4560788
references.citation: Science. 1987 Sep 11;237(4820):1317-23
references.pmid: 3629243
references.citation: J Exp Psychol. 1956 Jan;51(1):79-88
references.pmid: 13286444
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1998 Apr;24(2):136-50
references.pmid: 9556907
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 2003 Jan;29(1):78-83
references.pmid: 12561135
references.citation: Psychon Bull Rev. 2008 Feb;15(1):1-15
references.pmid: 18605474
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 2004 Apr;111(2):455-85
references.pmid: 15065918