Neural Substrates of Learning and Attentive Processes

George, David N.

Abstract

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved. This chapter reviews research on the neural correlates of several behavioral effects predicted by each model and considers what this research can tell about the psychological processes involved in attention. It highlights a number of neuroscientific studies that have helped to elucidate the complexity of the psychological mechanisms of attention in associative learning. The re is substantial evidence that both predictability and uncertainty contribute towards changes in attention in ways consistent with the models proposed by Mackintosh and Pearce and Hall. The psychological processes underlying these changes in attention are much more complex than might be suggested by the simple mathematical nature of those models. Mackintosh proposed that attention will increase and decrease to stimuli as a function of how well they predict reward. Both Mackintosh's and Pearce and Hall's models propose that the prediction error associated with a cue will influence its associability.

Citation

George, D. N. (2016). Neural Substrates of Learning and Attentive Processes. In R. A. Murphy, & R. C. Honey (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning (86-113). John Wiley and Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118650813.ch5

• Online Publication Date: Jun 25, 2016
• Publication Date: Jul 5, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Pages: 86-113
• Book Title: The Wiley Handbook on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning
• Chapter Number: 5
• ISBN: 9781118650943
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118650813.ch5
• Keywords: Associative learning; Attentive processes; Mackintosh's model; Neuroscientific studies; Pearce-Hall model; Prediction error; Psychological processes
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/547529