Distorted estimates of implicit and explicit learning in applications of the process-dissociation procedure to the SRT task.
We investigated potential biases affecting the validity of the process-dissociation (PD) procedure when applied to sequence learning. Participants were or were not exposed to a serial reaction time task (SRTT) with two types of pseudo-random materials. Afterwards, participants worked on a free or cued generation task under inclusion and exclusion instructions. Results showed that pre-experimental response tendencies, non-associative learning of location frequencies, and the usage of cue locations introduced bias to PD estimates. These biases may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the presence of implicit and explicit knowledge. Potential remedies for these problems are discussed.
Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: christoph.stahl@uni-koeln.de.
Christoph
C
Stahl
Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Marius
M
Barth
Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Hilde
H
Haider
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult
Implicit learning; Process-dissociation procedure; Response bias; Serial reaction time task