A sequence identification measurement model to investigate the implicit learning of metrical temporal patterns.

Benjamin G Schultz,Barbara Tillmann,Peter E Keller,Catherine J Stevens

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075163

Abstract

Implicit learning (IL) occurs unconsciously and without intention. Perceptual fluency is the ease of processing elicited by previous exposure to a stimulus. It has been assumed that perceptual fluency is associated with IL. However, the role of perceptual fluency following IL has not been investigated in temporal pattern learning. Two experiments by Schultz, Stevens, Keller, and Tillmann demonstrated the IL of auditory temporal patterns using a serial reaction-time task and a generation task based on the process dissociation procedure. The generation task demonstrated that learning was implicit in both experiments via motor fluency, that is, the inability to suppress learned information. With the aim to disentangle conscious and unconscious processes, we analyze unreported recognition data associated with the Schultz et al. experiments using the sequence identification measurement model. The model assumes that perceptual fluency reflects unconscious processes and IL. For Experiment 1, the model indicated that conscious and unconscious processes contributed to recognition of temporal patterns, but that unconscious processes had a greater influence on recognition than conscious processes. In the model implementation of Experiment 2, there was equal contribution of conscious and unconscious processes in the recognition of temporal patterns. As Schultz et al. demonstrated IL in both experiments using a generation task, and the conditions reported here in Experiments 1 and 2 were identical, two explanations are offered for the discrepancy in model and behavioral results based on the two tasks: 1) perceptual fluency may not be necessary to infer IL, or 2) conscious control over implicitly learned information may vary as a function of perceptual fluency and motor fluency.

Highlights

Implicit learning (IL) is learning that occurs unconsciously, unintentionally, and without having declarative knowledge about what has been learned [1,2]
The present paper investigates the contribution of conscious and unconscious processes in the IL of temporal patterns using a recognition task based on the process dissociation procedure [7] and a model-based analysis adapted from a model by Buchner and colleagues [8,9,10]
As the recognition task primarily relies on perceptual influences, and the generation task primarily relies on motor influences, it is possible that the results from recognition and generation tasks in the present study have revealed that perceptual fluency and motor fluency may be dissociable

Summary

Introduction

Implicit learning (IL) is learning that occurs unconsciously, unintentionally, and without having declarative knowledge about what has been learned [1,2]. There is some debate over how much control one can have over implicitly acquired knowledge before learning should be considered explicit rather than implicit (e.g., [4,5,6]). The present paper investigates the contribution of conscious and unconscious processes in the IL of temporal patterns using a recognition task based on the process dissociation procedure [7] and a model-based analysis adapted from a model by Buchner and colleagues [8,9,10]. The primary aim of the present study is to examine whether implicitly learned temporal patterns can be recognized via conscious or unconscious processes, and to test whether recognition via unconscious processes is associated with IL

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