The effect of different types of feedback in multiple-cue probability learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different sorts of feedback upon performance in a multiple-cue probability learning task with binary cues and binary events. In addition to traditional outcome feedback, subjects were given periodic feedback messages throughout the experiment. Different types of feedback included percentage of correct responses, cue-event validity coefficients, cue-response utilization coefficients, and a combination of both of the last two types. Feedback was based upon either all previous trials (long-term feedback) or the last 20 trials (short-term feedback) or both. Two different tasks were used. Nine hundred seventy-two subjects were assigned to 32 groups in a 4 (feedback type) by 2 (short-term feedback) by 2 (long-term feedback) by 2 (task) design, and were individually run for 300 noncontingent trials. In general, the results were that no type of feedback enhanced performance, but all feedback types except percentage correct feedback resulted in a decrement in performance. Long-term and short-term feedback interaction effects were found.