A Declarative Memory Model of Evaluative Conditioning

Anne Gast

doi:10.5964/spb.v13i3.28590

Abstract

I propose a Declarative Memory Model (DMM) of evaluative conditioning (EC). EC effects are changes in the valence of a conditioned stimulus (CS) due to previous pairings with a positive or negative unconditioned stimulus (US; e.g., De Houwer, 2007, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1138741600006491). According to the DMM, EC effects are found if (1) a memory trace is formed in the learning phase that links the CS to evaluative information from the US, if (2) this trace survives the retention interval, if (3) the trace or part of it is consciously retrieved when the CS is being evaluated, and if (4) the retrieved trace is used in the CS evaluation. For each of these stages, I make separate predictions about EC effects, many of which are based on empirical research on declarative memory. Where available, I report and discuss empirical evidence on EC that speaks to these hypotheses. The available empirical evidence is largely in line with the predictions of the DMM. Several predictions, however, have yet to be tested and some findings are ambiguous. While the DMM specifies conditions under which CS-US pairings should lead to a valence change, it does not deny the possibility that other processes might lead to a change in attitude as well. Advantages of the DMM are its foundation on declarative memory research, its applicability for attitude change effects in general, and its suitability for predictions of EC effects in the real world.

Highlights

Many of our attitudes, if not most, are learned rather than genetically determined
In line with the Declarative Memory Model (DMM), we recently found first evidence that evaluative conditioning (EC) effects increase when stimulus presentations are distributed over time (Richter & Gast, 2017)
According to the DMM, EC effects are found when during the learning phase a link between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and evaluative information is encoded, survives the retention interval, is consciously retrieved while a person expresses their evaluation of the CS, and is used in the evaluation

Summary

Introduction

If not most, are learned rather than genetically determined. A simple environmental constellation that leads to a change in preference is the pairing of a stimulus (referred to as conditioned stimulus or CS) with another, typically positive or negative stimulus (referred to as unconditioned stimulus or US). The use of meaningful CSs, can plausibly have at least one other effect: Once retrieval of evaluative information has occurred, a meaningful CS might be less influenced by it because participants are more likely to already have an attitude about it. The DMM only predicts EC effects if a memory trace that contains evaluative information is retrieved at the time that CS valence is measured.

Results

Conclusion