Acquisition Of Paired Associates As A Function Of Associative Strength Of Competing Responses

8 MODIFIED PAIRED ASSOCIATES WERE PRESENTED IN EXP. I FOR 20 TRIALS. 1 RESPONSE, R, OCCURRED WITH A PARTICULAR STIMULUS ON EVERY OTHER TRIAL; THE R2 RESPONSE, ALTERNATING WITH R, WAS SYSTEMATICALLY VARIED SO THAT IT WAS A STRONG, MODERATE, WEAK, OR NON-ASSOCIATE OF THE RESPECTIVE STIMULUS (S). A NON-S-R CONDITION ALSO WAS EMPLOYED. IN EXP. II, THE R1 RESPONSES WERE NON-ASSOCIATES OR ASSOCIATES OF THE RESPECTIVE STIMULI AND THE R2 RESPONSES WERE ASSOCIATES-NON-ASSOCIATES, OR S-R PAIRS NOT PRESENTED. THE CORRECT RESPONSE AND INTRUSION RESULTS INDICATED THAT ACQUISITION OF NON-ASSOCIATED S-R PAIRS WAS POOREST WHEN THE S-R PAIR ALSO WAS NON-ASSOCIATED. MODERATE S-R ASSOCIATES DID NOT INTERFERE SIGNIFICANTLY WITH S-R NON-ASSOCIATE ACQUISITION. WHEN S-R WAS AN ASSOCIATED PAIR, INTERFERENCE OCCURRED WHETHER THE RESPECTIVE S-R PAIR ALSO WAS ASSOCIATED OR NON-ASSOCIATED. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT COMPETITION OF RESPONSES OF SIMILAR ASSOCIATIVE STRENGTH PRODUCE INTERFERENCE, ESPECIALLY FOR WEAK ASSOCIATIONS, AND ALSO SUGGESTED THAT STRONG ASSOCIATES ARE INHIBITED IN THE ACQUISITION OF NEW ASSOCIATIONS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)