title: Mini-review: Prediction errors, attention and associative learning.
abstract: Most modern theories of associative learning emphasize a critical role for prediction error (PE, the difference between received and expected events). One class of theories, exemplified by the Rescorla-Wagner (1972) model, asserts that PE determines the effectiveness of the reinforcer or unconditioned stimulus (US): surprising reinforcers are more effective than expected ones. A second class, represented by the Pearce-Hall (1980) model, argues that PE determines the associability of conditioned stimuli (CSs), the rate at which they may enter into new learning: the surprising delivery or omission of a reinforcer enhances subsequent processing of the CSs that were present when PE was induced. In this mini-review we describe evidence, mostly from our laboratory, for PE-induced changes in the associability of both CSs and USs, and the brain systems involved in the coding, storage and retrieval of these altered associability values. This evidence favors a number of modifications to behavioral models of how PE influences event processing, and suggests the involvement of widespread brain systems in animals' responses to PE.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, USA. Electronic address: pch@jhu.edu.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, USA.
authors.forename: Felipe L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Schiffino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Associability; Associative learning; Attention; Pearce–Hall model; Prediction error