Abstract
The computer-based Rutgers Acquired Equivalence test (RAET) is a widely used paradigm to test the function of subcortical structures in visual associative learning. The test consists of an acquisition (pair learning) and a test (rule transfer) phase, associated with the function of the basal ganglia and the hippocampi, respectively. Obviously, such a complex task also requires cortical involvement. To investigate the activity of different cortical areas during this test, 64-channel EEG recordings were recorded in 24 healthy volunteers. Fast-Fourier and Morlet wavelet convolution analyses were performed on the recordings. The most robust power changes were observed in the theta (4–7 Hz) and gamma (>30 Hz) frequency bands, in which significant power elevation was observed in the vast majority of the subjects, over the parieto-occipital and temporo-parietal areas during the acquisition phase. The involvement of the frontal areas in the acquisition phase was remarkably weaker. No remarkable cortical power elevations were found in the test phase. In fact, the power of the alpha and beta bands was significantly decreased over the parietooccipital areas. We conclude that the initial acquisition of the image pairs requires strong cortical involvement, but once the pairs have been learned, neither retrieval nor generalization requires strong cortical contribution.
Highlights
Associative learning is a basic cognitive function, through which discrete and often strongly different ideas and percepts are linked together
Visual equivalence learning is a special kind of associative learning, which can be tested with the Rutgers Acquired Equivalence Test (RAET, Myers et al, 2003)
As for the behavioral performance in the psychophysical paradigm, the results were comparable to the findings of other studies using the same paradigm in adult healthy volunteers (Öze et al, 2017)
Summary
Associative learning is a basic cognitive function, through which discrete and often strongly different ideas and percepts are linked together. This type of learning is responsible for classical conditioning (Ito et al, 2008), as well as weather-prediction (Gluck et al, 2002), latent inhibition (Weiss and Brown, 1974) and sensory preconditioning (Rescorla, 1980). Visual equivalence learning is a special kind of associative learning, which can be tested with the Rutgers Acquired Equivalence Test (RAET, Myers et al, 2003). The first one of these is the acquisition phase where the subjects learn to associate two different visual stimuli. The participants’ task throughout the whole test is to indicate their choice by pressing one of two Abbreviations: CMW, Complex Morlet Wavelet convolution; FFT, Fast Fourier Transform; RAET, Rutgers acquired equivalence test
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