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PubMed · 11505608

Learning complex sequences: no role for observation?

S W Kelly·A M Burton
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Abstract

Two experiments examined performance in a sequence learning task. Participants were trained on a repeating sequence which was presented as a visual display and learning was measured via the increase in reaction time to respond to a new sequence. Some participants made a response to each stimulus while others merely observed the sequence. In Experiment 1 participants responding to the display via a keypress showed learning, but those merely observing did not. Five possible reasons for the failure to find observational learning were considered and the Experiment 2 attempted to resolve these. This second experiment confirmed the findings of Experiment 1 in a non-spatial sequence display using a cover story which encouraged attention to the display but not rule-search strategies. The results are discussed in relation to applied and theoretical aspects of implicit learning.

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AttentionHumansLearningObservationPhotic StimulationPsychological TheoryReaction TimeJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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S W Kelly, A M Burton. 2001. Learning complex sequences: no role for observation?. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004260000034

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