The intermixed-blocked effect in human perceptual learning is not the consequence of trial spacing.

Chris Mitchell*, Scott Nash, Geoffrey Hall

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A robust finding in humans and animals is that intermixed exposure to 2 similar stimuli (AX/BX) results in better discriminability of those stimuli on test than does exposure to 2 equally similar stimuli in 2 separate blocks (CX_DX)--the intermixed-blocked effect. This intermixed-blocked effect may be an example of the superiority of spaced over massed practice; in the intermixed, but not the blocked exposure regime, each presentation of a given stimulus (e.g., AX) is separated from the next by the presentation of its partner (BX). Two experiments with human participants replicated the intermixed-blocked effect and showed that the effect was not due to the spacing of exposure trials. A mechanism for the intermixed-blocked effect is proposed, which combines theories from associative learning and memory.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)237-242
Number of pages0
JournalJ Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn
Volume34
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2008

Keywords

  • Attention
  • Color Perception
  • Discrimination Learning
  • Field Dependence-Independence
  • Humans
  • Memory
  • Short-Term
  • Mental Recall
  • Pattern Recognition
  • Visual
  • Practice
  • Psychological
  • Psychophysics

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